The Missing Brings People Together
by Padfoot's Pawprint
Summary: After a fight with Lily, James disappears. At least, it looks like he disappeared. But what really happened? And will he come back? Lily/James & Remus/OC.
1. Chapter 1: Missing

**This is one for my buddy moonshine aka tiffany. i know she loves remus lupin**

**Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape or form, the author of the Harry Potter series. J. is. **

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James Potter. _More like arse,_ thought Lily angrily. To her, James was a complete jerk; a boy bent on destroying her life with his childish games and antics. He was selfish, arrogant, and claimed he loved her.

To everyone else, on the other hand, thought James was one of those bad boys. A boy with a knack for mischief but was devilishly handsome and a lady's man.

This added to Lily's frustration and one day, she couldn't take it. Little did she know, neither could he.

"You're just a complete arse all the bloody time, Potter! Is there nothing better for you to do?"

James contemplated that for a millisecond.

"Unless you wanted to go out with me, no, there isn't. If you'd been paying attention, you'd see that." He retorted.

Lily threw her head back and laughed.

"If _I'd_ paid attention? Really? If _you'd_ paid attention, you'd know that I never want to see you face again!"

Suddenly James was quiet.

"You really mean that?"

"Do I ever! All you do is pull pranks and try to date me, which will never happen, trust me, Potter. I don't ever want to see your face again."

"Fine,"

"Fine,"

"Fine,"

"Fine,"

"Fine!" James stormed up to his dorm and Lily did the same.

The next morning, Lily woke up feeling slightly sorry for James, bur the remembered all the pranks and the guilt disappeared.

When she went to breakfast, James wasn't there. She sat with her friends, Alice and Cassandra. They were talking about Frank, Alice's crush, when she came.

"Congratulations, Alice," Cassandra said, flipping her brown hair over her shoulders.

"What's going on, guys?" Lily asked, putting food on her plate and trying to forget about James Potter.

"Frank just asked Alice out to Hogsmede,"

"Not so loud, Cassy," mumbled Alice, blushing.

"No, no, Cassy's right, Alice. Congrats," Alice smiled and nodded. Then she looked over at Frank Longbottom, whom was eating his toast, but was stealing glances her way. Lily watched as the two blushed, smiled, and stared at their food. But the more Lily watched them, the sadder she seemed to become.

Then the Marauders walked in. First, small, blond Peter, then tall, brown haired Remus, followed by dark, handsome Sirius, and finally black haired… _Wait,_ she thought,_ no James._

"Where's James?" she asked her friends, who looked at her oddly.

Alice put a hand on her forehead.

"You don't seem sick."

"Three things, Lils," said Cassandra, "One, I don't know, two, why do you care, and three, did you just call him James?"

"Of course not," Lily said quickly, secretly pondering the questions Why had she called him James? "And I don't care. We are both Heads and he can't leave me doing the jobs alone. It's selfish.

"Right," Alice and Cassandra exchanged secret looks and glanced over at the Marauders. The three of them all looked so sad and down. Their fan clubs, er, Sirius' fan club was trying to make him feel better but a smile never touched his lips.

Lily's friends, although they were Lily's friends, genuinely didn't mind the Marauders much. The two worried as they saw the usually grinning faces of the Marauders solemn and smile less.

Lily also seemed concerned for reasons even she couldn't comprehend. So she did the best thing she could think of. She went up and asked the Marauders.

"Hullo, boys," the gloomy marauders looked up at Lily. Sirius' expression was sad; Remus' troubled; and peter looked downright disturbed.

"What do you want, Evans?" as Sirius his gray eyes cool.

"Just wondering where Ja-Potter is."

"Wouldn't you like to know," said Sirius coldly. Lily was startled. Black and his friends were usually annoyingly nice but never cruel to her.

"What's wrong? You guys seem so…" Lily was going to say lifeless. The Marauders were always out of commission when a member was missing. Whether it was a holiday or a sickness, they'd wait. It happened with Remus once, as well. Remus was away and it made all the Marauders slow down and stop pranking too.

Lily knew why, though. Remus was a werewolf and, in all honesty, Lily didn't mind.

_So James has the same effect,_ thought Lily. James was like the leader of the Marauders. Sirius was his best friend, Remus, his other, and Peter…. Lily didn't know much about Peter but she assumed he was a friend.

"So what? Stupid? If you've come to annoy us, go bugger off. We're not in the mood." growled Sirius.

"Padfoot," said Remus in a warning tone. At the back of her mind, Lily wondered what that nickname meant.

"No, Moony, I'm fed up," Sirius stood up abruptly.

"Classes," squeaked Peter suddenly, jumping up and trying to drag Sirius out of the Great Hall.

"Right you are," murmured Remus, getting up and helping Peter bring Sirius out. It was two against one and Sirius seemed to realize that. He broke his friends hold on him and stormed out of the Great Hall.

Peter ran after him immediately, but Remus glanced at Lily, an apologetic look in his amber brown eyes, before running after Peter and Sirius, leaving a very confused Lily Evans behind.

_-M-A-G-I-C-_

When Remus walked into the Gryffindor Common Room, Sirius was hitting a hard stone wall.

"Where…BANG…are…BANG…you…BANG?" Sirius said angrily.

Peter was trying to stop his young friend, but was failing miserably. Bit's of concrete wall fell at Sirius' feet.

"Bloody…BANG…prat…BANG!"

"Stop, Padfoot," pleaded Peter, trying to tug Sirius' arm back.

"He's right, Padfoot. Neither of us wants you to destroy the wall or your hands."

Sirius stopped for a moment and looked at his fists. His knuckles were bloodied and his black hair dishevelled in rage.

"You worry about the wall? Our…BANG…best…BANG…friend…BANG…is…BANG missing!"

"Padfoot, that's enough," said Remus sharply, "Let's think about this rationally.

Sirius laughed some what insanely.

"I will not think about this rationally!"

"Give it time, Padfoot, please. Twenty four hours at least. Prongs wouldn't just go missing. Not without telling us."

Sirius thought about what Remus had said carefully. Remus had chosen his words well in hopes of quelling Sirius' anger and making him thin straight. Internally, Remus wasn't angry, but instead, he was very worried.

Prongs wasn't stupid. He was between 1st and 2nd in almost every class to Lily and he was very (sometimes, maybe…) sensible. He wouldn't have left without a good bye or a note, thought Remus.

"Fine," grumbled Sirius, arms folded across his chest, "I'll wait."

Smiling grimly to each other, the three Marauders went to their rooms, each one thinking about their lost friend.

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**How'd it go? This was only chapter one. Hope you liked it.**

**R&R plz**


	2. Chapter 2: Disappeared

**hey! this is a really short chapter, but it'll make sense eventually.**

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"Get off me!" he shouted, before a silencing charm was put on him. He tried, futilely, to undo the ropes that held him. He failed.

Someone came up beside him, their lips at his ear and whispered, "You'll be quiet if you know what's good for you."

_But I don't know! You won't bloody tell me,_ thought James. He struggled again but it earned him a hard smack in the back of his head. It was hard and thick, enough to leave a mark. James could feel his consciousness slipping away, and the last thing he could hear was, "James Potter, the boy who disappeared."

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**And it's over! That was so short. Anywho, thank for reading. There are more chapters to come.**

**[:**


	3. Chapter 3: Leaving

**sorry it's been so long but this is the 3rd chapter. I tried hard. Thankyou.**

**The disclaimer's on my profile but just so you know J.K. Rowling's badass story doesn't belong to moi.**

**[:**

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Lily and James were in almost every class together, so Lily was surprised not to see him in any. Sure, he'd skip a few, but not all of them, she thought.

She also noticed Sirius' increasing bad mood in each class. He'd gotten no detention because it seemed like the teachers all understood his anxiety. Remus and Peter also stayed quiet, brooding over James, Lily guessed.

But it wasn't until Lily got to Transfiguration that she truly began to feel worry. James was nothing if not arrogant and he loved to be good at things. Transfiguration was one of the few classes. But for him not to be there…Lily took her seat beside Cassy, whom was talking to Alice again.

"And she said that Frank was totally talking about you in the Common Room."

"Are you sure?"

"Does it look like I'm sure?"

Alice nodded.

"Well, then there," Cassandra said it with an air of finality.

"How are you, Lily?" asked Alice, in an attempt to change the subject. Lily, herself, was not prepared for the question.

"Fine," she said, though she could her how feeble it sounded.

"You sure?" asked Alice quietly.

"Totally. I'm…" Alice never got to find out what Lily was because before she could say anything, the Marauders walked through the door. The room got quiet. The entire class room watched as the trio went to their seats.

Sirius' blue grey eyes darted around the room in search of his glasses wearing friend, but to no avail. Peter was looking frightened and Remus' expression was one of great worry.

Lily stared at them and she, in turn, was sad. The sadness seemed to affect the entire class. When Professor McGonagall came in, she told the class to practice spells while she marked the test of some first years. Usually, Professor McGonagall would have, under no circumstances, allowed this to happen but oddly it did.

The Marauders were usually chattery but now were silently practicing changing their quills into snakes (A/N: I couldn't think of anything else, so back off) and back again.

Although James was gone, Lily was constantly distracted. If it wasn't the Marauders, it was the teacher's sad face, or the spells, or the fact that something was missing.

That something was James. Even at the end of class, Lily wouldn't admit that she was missing James too.

Moony was good at sensing trouble. Sirius knew. He knew that Moony was tense and worried about James and would do absolutely anything for him.

Sirius was still fuming as they entered the Common Room. It was late; they had been doing rounds and checking halls and classrooms for James. But they hadn't seen him.

"Padfoot," was what Remus said as they entered the room. Nobody else was there. Sirius bit his lip.

"Can you read minds, Moony?" he asked. Perhaps Moony knows he was going for the wall again….

"Yes, yes I can," Remus smiled and sat down in the armchair near the fire.

Peter sat on the sofa, staring at the flames while Sirius began pacing.

"It's been 24 hours, Moony, Wormtail," he said suddenly, " I'm going out to look for him."

Peter pulled his gaze from the fire and fixed his brown eyes on Sirius.

"What do you mean, Padfoot?"

"I mean, James isn't back yet and I'm worried," Remus looked up. Sirius rarely became worried. Not about family, or school; just friends, if anything. Sirius contemplated leaving; just thought of taking his cloak, his wand, going animagus and searching for James, "Look, James and I have been friends since we first met. Prongs always had my back as I've always had his. Prongs and I are closer than brothers, and I'll be damned if I can't find him."

Peter gave a vicious nod and stood up.

"I agree, Padfoot, I'm not very popular and James and you guys took me in. We have to find Prongs."

Sirius watched as Remus deliberated.

"Is this what it was like?" he asked quietly. Both Sirius and Peter looked at him blankly, "I mean the confusion, the fear, the worry."

"Worse, in a way," said Sirius grimly, "We all know how old Prongsie gets when he's grumpy. He whines and pouts; like me! He kept talking about it and then we all figured it out."

Remus nodded.

"Okay, but we can't leave tonight."

Peter sat down.

"How come, Moony?"

"Well, think about it," he started.

"More thinking?"

"Yes, Padfoot, more thinking. Now let's look at the facts. Prongs came back last night angry and sad. We all went to bed and when we woke up, poof! He was gone. His bed was even made."

"James never makes his bed. Only for his mom." said Sirius matter-of-factly.

Remus nodded, taking it in.

"Prongs didn't bring his broom," Remus and Sirius looked at Peter sharply.

"What?"

"Prongs didn't take his broom," repeated Peter, "Knowing Prongs, a broomstick is one of the first things he would take, next to his wand."

"Wormy's got a point, Moony." put in Sirius.

"So, missing Prongs, bed made, no broom; that rules out running away." mused Remus.

"It's a good thing you're calm, Sirius," said Peter randomly.

"I guess," said Sirius, "Prongs can't apparate either."

"That's true, not that he's mastered it." Sirius twitched.

'You mean he did master it?" gasped Peter.

"Why didn't you tell us, Padfoot?" asked Remus, "It's important."

"I promised Prongs I wouldn't tell," insisted Sirius, "He would have told you guys today but," Sirius paused, "Still, it wouldn't matter. You can't apparate in or out of Hogwarts." Both Peter and Remus looked astonished. "What? McGonagall made me sort out books and I was bored so yeah." Peter and Remus' expressions didn't change.

"Guys please, remember? Prongs? Our missing best friend?"

"Right, Prongs." said Remus slowly. Sirius smirked. His friend would never get over this.

Peter nodded.

"Maybe, no."

"Yes, Wormtail?" asked Remus politely.

"Nothing." mumbled Peter.

"Wormtail, everything is important."

"Well..."

"This is Prongs, Wormy, and anything at all is useful." said Sirius firmly. He watched his blond friend squirm uncomfortably.

"What if," Peter trailed off, "I mean the thought came so suddenly and I don't really like the idea but…'

"Spit it out, Wormtail." demanded Sirius impatiently.

"What if James was kidnapped?" he asked quietly.

Sirius felt his insides go cold.

"Kidnapped?" he choked on the word, "But who'd want to…?"

At that thought, faces flew in his mind; Snape; Crabbe; Avery; McCuliber; Parkinson. All were Slytherins and the Slytherins had been oddly cheery today.

"It's just a thought," mumbled Peter, "Prongs probably got lost or something."

Sirius snorted.

"I doubt it. There's no way he or any of us could get lost. Marauders Map?"

They all froze.

Sirius laughed at his own stupidity; Peter slapped his forehead. Remus ran a hand through his tawny hair.

Sirius noticed it first.

"What's wrong, moons?"

"Well, we all take turns holding the Marauders Map, to avoid stealing from others, remember?" Sirius nodded, then, as realization dawned on him, he groaned.

"What?" asked Peter.

"The night James went missing…" started Remus.

"It was his turn to watch the map." finished Sirius.

"Which means he had it when he left…"

"And if he's been kidnapped…"

"Which he just might be…"

"His kidnappers have the map."

Peter gasped.

"But they can't know how to use it." he said.

"That might be true," said Remus slowly, "If James…"

"But James would never tell." put in Sirius; Peter nodded.

"Either way," Peter said, "It wouldn't work unless they're on the grounds."

They were all quiet.

"Marauding isn't any fun without James." said Sirius.

"You can say that again." said Remus hands over his eyes.

"Marauding isn't any fun without James." repeated Sirius.

Remus and Peter rolled their eyes at their friend's attempt to lighten the mood.

"So when are we leaving?"

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**there you go**

**hope it was okay**

**plz R&R**

**thankyou very much 4 reading **

**[:**


	4. Chapter 4: Tiffany

**hi there. This a little more for my buddy Tiffany or moonshine [: Albus, buddy, if you're reading, hi!**

**This isn't mine and it's obvious that J.k. Rowling's pure genius never will be. Just clearing that up. **

**Here's the next chapter**

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It was decided that they'd leave Saturday. It was mainly because Remus didn't want to miss any homework and assignments.

So, the three remaining Marauders did their homework. Sirius was making weak jokes, trying to cheer Remus, Peter, and himself up, but failed.

The grey eyed Marauder, try as he might, could not make him nor his company laugh either. Eventually, he gave up and decided to take a nap that day.

Peter, whom had a lot of homework, spent Tuesday working on it.

Remus went to the library to search up ways to look for a lost wizard.

His table was filled with charm books and potions books that he hoped would be the key to finding James. Remus was finished his homework and so spent his time looking.

"Accio James won't work." he muttered as he put down his 3rd charms book and moved on to his 2nd.

"Not much good for finding a person."

Remus' head snapped up at the unfamiliar voice. In front of his table stood a young girl. She was in the same year as him.

"Hullo Tiffany." He said politely. He had never talked to Tiffany much since Gryffindors and Ravenclaws rarely had classes together. He'd seen her a few times in the library reading, but he never talked to her much. Then again, he hardly knew what to say to her.

"Hi," she gestured to the empty seat across from him, "May I?"

"Be my guest." Tiffany smiled, making him smile in turn, and sat down. She surveyed Remus' piles of books with interest.

"You looking for someone?" she asked. Remus hesitated. How much should he tell her? Should he tell her anything? Could he trust her?

Oddly, Remus felt he could.

Remus nodded.

"I'm looking for James." he said.

"Makes sense," said Tiffany, "Any luck?"

Remus shook his head.

"No. There's nothing here about finding a lost witch or wizard." Remus watched as Tiffany's expression went from concerned to calculating.

"Hmm, do you need help looking?" Remus was somewhat surprised by Tiffany's offer. They'd never really spoken before, but now they were speaking like old friends. He contemplated. He knew that Tiffany, the dark haired girl sitting across from him, was smart, and maybe smarter, than he was. She read fast and understood things quickly. But if the fact that James was missing was actually kidnapping, he didn't want Tiffany involved.

"Uh," Remus still wasn't sure, "Well, I…"

"How about if I find anything, I'll let you know. Is that okay?"

Remus nodded silently, thankful for the compromise.

Tiffany got up.

"Where are you going?" Remus asked, before realizing it was a fairly intrusive question. But Tiffany didn't seem to mind.

"Great Hall. I'm getting hungry and dinner's coming soon."

"I'll walk you." It was Tiffany's turn to look surprised.

"Okay, I'll help you put the books away. She started to gather together the books on Remus' table, her head down. Remus saw a reddish tinge on her cheeks as she turned for the bookcases. He then helped put away some of the books, glancing at Tiffany periodically. A few times, they both looked at each other and both looked away embarrassed.

When they were done, the two of them made their way out of the library and towards the Great Hall. Remus was quiet the whole way as was Tiffany. He figured she was the silent type as well so they walked in companionable silence until they parted ways.

"Goodbye." He said smiling.

"Bye, Remus," something unusual went through Remus when she said his name, "I'll let you know, okay?"

"Alright." Tiffany waved as she joined her friends at the Ravenclaw table. Remus watched her sit before going to Peter and Sirius at the Gryffindor table.

"So…" Sirius looked up at Remus, "Where have you been, Mr Moony?"

"Library, Mr Padfoot." he said calmly, sitting beside Peter; James' usual spot was empty.

"Find anything?" Remus shook his head, "You sure? Nothing new?"

"No."

"Sure? Who's the Ravenclaw?" Remus rolled his eyes. Only Sirius could manage not knowing someone his age after spending more than 6 years.

"Tiffany. She's really nice," said Remus. He decided not to mention that she was helping him find James. He also knew that Peter and Sirius would nag him about her so he changed the subject. "How was you nap?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"James on the brain?"

"Don't make me sound gay!"

"Is it true?"

"Yeah…but-"

"Then you're not gay. Relax a little, Paddy."

"Two things; one, that's my line and two, do not call me Paddy." growled Sirius. Remus laughed a bit. Without James, the Marauders were not as loud but the three that remained had to look fine. At least, they had to act like it or else the professors and other students would suspect something when they left on Saturday.

They didn't know how long they'd be gone, but, for James, it would be worth it, like how James, Sirius and Peter had thought him worth it and became Animagus.

After dinner, the boys finished and returned to their dorm to plan for Saturday. Part of Remus' brain was on the conversation, but the other was wondering how he'd talked to Tiffany without a sad expression.

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**wuz that okay?**

**hope so!**

**next one'll come sooner hopefully**

**thankx for reading**

**plz R&R if you can, if not, thankx anyway!**

**[:**


	5. Chapter 5: A Good Death Eater?

**here's the next one**

**love you, for those that kept up!**

**This isn't mine, sadly, for J. is the awesomest(not saying my writing is hers, just that the whole character idea and settings are her brilliant minds creation and I'm babbling so plz just read)**

* * *

James woke up. He was blindfolded and hogtied with no way of escape. He didn't even have his wand. James didn't know how long it would take to get out nor how long it had been. Still, James knew where he was and who kept him there.

"Night watch." said one of the guards. He heard footsteps as they left and someone new came in. Then, the door shut.

"Hullo?" he called out and then braced himself for the usual blow that followed.

"It's me." Said someone. A new guard, oh joy, he thought.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" asked James.

"You know why I am here. Voldemort wishes to keep you here." The voice belonged to a girl.

"Voldemort," spat James, "Why don't you call him like your friends do? Dark Lord or Master?"

The girl laughed.

"They are not my friends and Voldemort is not my master."

"Then why are you here? Who are you?" he repeated.

"I can't tell you who I am, James, but feel free to guess."

"A hint?" and how'd she know his name?

She was silent a moment; James knew she was alone.

"I visited Remus in the Hospital Wing last month…"

"Wait, so you're-"

"Yes, I am."

"But why would you work for Voldemort?"

"Dumbledore."

"Of course." Dumbledore made all the sense.

"You must not tell anyone."

"I won't." James promised.

"Good."

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**short but good enough**

**this is an easy puzzle that you'll solve fast**

**R&R if you can**

**thankyou for reading!**

**[:**


	6. Chapter 6: Pondering

**OMG! It's been, like forever. Whoever's been keeping up with this really crappy story, I apologize. Stupid school...I've been so stressed with summer and vacation and new school and crap! My thoughts are so jumbled. Here's the next chapter. Suckish, but it's something. **

**Enjoy!**She took off her cloak with a flourish. She didn't think anyone suspected her and luckily her dorm mates (A/N: sorry, didn't know what else to call them) didn't either. She slipped back into bed, not waking anyone, and tried to regain the sleep she'd lost.

* * *

The young witch didn't want James to hate her. She was just doing her job. Besides, it was for Dumbledore that all this was being done. Her and the others that had infiltrated Voldemort's close circle were both in danger and yet, at the same time, safe.

She closed her eyes. Perhaps it was best if she quit. But then she wouldn't be able to finish what she started. The others… She didn't think she would be able to leave them there, especially not Cain.

Claire sighed before drifting into a dreamless sleep with morning just around the corner.

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**Yes, it's another short one. I bet you thought I'd write Tiffany's POV. Nope. This is all Claire. At least, this chapter is all Claire.**

**Btw, while I was writing something happened. I skipped 2 days. They're not crucial, but they build up the romance factor. What should I do? Write the 2 days or just continue on. **

**Plz help. I really need it.**

**Click the button below if it suits your fancy.**

**[:**


	7. Chapter 7: Hoping

**OH MY WORD! IT HAS BEEN FOREVER!**

**if you are at all keeping up with this story, thank you. If not, well, I'm writing this for my own amusement, nothing more.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. well, maybe a few, but it's all Harry Potter and that is by J.K Rowling**

**J.K.-you rock my world!**

**on to whatever i have to do...**

**[:**

* * *

"Wake up, Moony!" Remus groaned and rolled to his side.

"What now, Padfoot?"

"You want to be late for school, don't you?"

Remus shook his head.

"Did you drink? You couldn't have had too much! You never do."

Remus pulled himself out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

"The fact that I'm awake before you if pretty spectacular, if you ask me. Besides the fact that Peter's awake too."

"He is?" Remus felt like he'd been slapped awake now.

"Yeah, earlier than me. I think he just went to get food early, though. He said he'd bring something up if you didn't come down in about…" Sirius checked the watch on James' beside table, "Three minutes."

"Ugh," Remus splashed water on his face and brushed his teeth. Sirius tightened his tie in the other room only to loosen it up so it hung loosely around his neck. He then went into Remus' trunk and pulled out pants, a shirt and Remus' black robe. He put them on the bathroom counter. Sirius perched himself on the closed toilet bowl.

"So why're you late today? We didn't stay up too late last night. Did you have a bad dream?"

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Remus, rinsing his mouth, "You don't usually question my sleeping habits."

"Well, no, but since James isn't here to do it I figure that ought to."

Remus was surprised at his friend's response. Sirius was mature to an extent but this was beyond anything….

"Thanks but I'm okay. Honestly," he added at the look on his face, "Don't you trust me?"

"I trust you, Moony, but your dreams are another matter. Was it that bad?"

Remus shifted his weight to his other leg.

"It was a good dream then?"

The young werewolf nodded mutely; Sirius broke into a broad grin.

"About who?"

"I never said it was about anyone!"

"No, but you never said it wasn't about someone either." he winked then glanced excitedly at the door, "Food!"

Seconds later, Peter came into the room holding a plate of food, two plates actually. He smiled and set both plates on the counter.

"So, the Moonking has decided to sleep in for once, has he?" Peter laughed a bit, "This is definitely a surprise."

Remus smiled at Peter's light attempt at joking.

"Good morning, Wormtail."

"Morning, Moony. How are you? It's not like you to sleep in! Your alarm clock woke me up!"

Remus tousled his hair once.

"Sorry, Wormtail. Didn't mean it."

Peter sighed.

"I know." he handed Sirius and Remus the food filled plates, "Here, I know you want it.

Remus resisted the urge to drool. "Eat up then."

They did.

Peter told Remus and Sirius about breakfast. Luckily, he'd gotten there first.

Sirius ate in silence and Remus knew he was planning to question him about his dream. Peter hoped Remus was feeling well enough to go to class.

As it turned out, all three of them were well enough to go.

They momentarily put James out of their minds and headed for their classes that they all knew only Remus was interested in.

*M*A*G*I*C*

Transfiguration had always been James' and Sirius' forte. They were the best at it, compared to Remus and Peter. So, they tried to stay cheerful and 'normal' but it didn't feel right. Their friend was gone, not dead, just momentarily missing.

Remus felt terrible, and knew that James' ability to joke around drew them together.

This was one of the reasons that the remaining Marauders would orchestrate a prank on the infamous Slytherin Serverus Snape. Of course, he knew perfectly well that it wouldn't be complete without James but they'd need this act to be suspicion free. Nobody could know they were planning to leave.

But someone did know. Remus looked at the spot behind him. Tiffany had her head down, her quill rushing against her parchment. She seemed very focussed on what she was doing.

Then, she looked up, catching his eyes. After giving him a minute wave, she returned to her work.

Remus sighed and turned his attention to his own parchment, which was practically completed. It was an essay(** A.N. I don't think they have essay's in Hogwarts, but I was really low on creative juice**) on Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration*. Remus knew the theory but James was the master at the hands on activities . And that was next.

"Alright." said Professor McGonagall. "This is an easy test, if you studied. Ready?"

Remus was.

Sirius stretched widely, slipping his wand into his robes.

"Well, that was fun."

Peter grimaced, sure of his failure.

Remus began putting away his stuff, but stopped when he saw a paper airplane flying by. It swooped, curving gracefully till it landed on his book.. Curious, Remus scanned the room for people and found a streak of black hair curve out the door.

He opened the airplane and found what he suspected.

_Remus,_

_Please meet me after dinner in the library._

_Tiffany_

Something was off about this, but he was too distracted to care. They had a clue. They were one step closer…hopefully.

*M*A*G*I*C*

Sirius was laughing so hard that tears were coming out of his eyes.

"Did you see his face?"

Peter laughed and nodded. Then he heaved a sigh.

"Won't detention be boring?" he asked.

"Nah, it's only a few days. Which means, Friday? I'm off!"

"That's good." Remus nodded his agreement.

"It just won't be the same without Prongs."

"S'okay, Padfoot. I reckon Prongs would be proud to know that his old Lily prank went to good use on Snape."

Sirius grinned, remembering Lily's sea green hair on Snape. He burst into another fit of laughter.

"You never get caught, Moony." added Peter, taking a seat beside Remus. They had reached their House table. "How long will it last?"

"Until he says, 'James Potter is the best Quidditch player ever.'"

"Same principle applies, Wormtail." said Remus putting food on his plate, "Lily had to do it too."

"Yeah, but what if Severus doesn't want to?"

"Well, Snivellus will just have to live with it now won't he?" Sirius followed Remus' example and took a bit. "'Sides, if he were smarted he'd have taken it off himself."

"Perhaps."

Peter looked down the long table.

"You think Frank is happy?"

Sirius shrugged, but didn't bother to look that way, "He looks happy." Remus raised his eyebrow at his friend, then turned to Peter.

"Well, James tends to make people like that happy."

"People like that?"

"Mhmmm. Frank, if you've noticed, is very shy and clumsy all the time. He went to James for advice."

"Whoa, wait. He went to James? Not me? Why?" Sirius looked up, a hurt expression on his face.

"Really, Padfoot? You and Frank aren't exactly best friends, whereas Frank and James have been on good terms because of their interest in Alice and Lily. Now may I continue?" Sirius nodded solemnly, his attention directed back at his food. "James told Frank that when you care about someone, you have to be brave and let them know, because you never know when you could lose them."

"Wow, Moony. How'd you know that? You make Prongs sound so…"

"Mature?" Sirius took another quick bite before getting back into the conversation at hand. "Naw, James would tell anyone that. It's his belief. He uses it when trying to get Lily to date him, if you've noticed. Besides, this applies to Frank and, as you can see, appears successful."

Remus smiled. "I know all this specifically because I was there. And Padfoot is correct." He ignored the audible _'yes' _from Sirius. "James isn't mature. He just knows what he wants and what he believes in.

"Mature or not, Prongs is pretty smart because his advice worked."

Sirius and Remus glanced over at Frank whom was eating with one hand and holding Alice's hand with his other. He had a dreamlike look on his face.

"I guess."

"You guys know how Lily's doing?"

"She seems depressed."

"Really?" Sirius glanced down the table again to see Cassandra and Lily talking animatedly to Frank and Alice. "She seems pretty happy to me."

"You don't get it, Padfoot. We all knew this would happen. That Lily would land up missing him."

"Doesn't look that way." grumbled Sirius. But he was lying. He saw that she was forcing herself to be cheerful. When she ran out of things to say, she'd eat food, but even from a distance he could see how tight she was. She looked sad.

Remus shrugged and finished his meal, speculating on the possible clues. Tiffany could have found out something. Perhaps she'd found out the exact location!

Then again, he probably shouldn't get his hopes up.

"Moony?"

"Huh?" Peter was waving a hand in front of Remus' face.

"You okay there, Moonshine? Not drunk on yourself, I hope." Sirius joked.

"No, I'm fine."

"Then why were you spacing out?" asked Peter.

"I'm not spacing out."

"Really?"

"Really."

Peter and Sirius sighed together.

"If you say so."

Another few minutes passed and Remus, though finished, waited for his friends to do the same.

Sirius ate slowly; Remus reckoned it was because he had detention. He was really enjoying this. Peter beat Sirius by a mouthful but all three finished and were ready.

"See you guys after detention."

"I m-might be asleep, Padfoot."

"S'okay. You need it. Moony?"

"I'm going to the library."

"Nerd."

The three walked Peter to the Common Room which wasn't too much trouble.

"Bye, Wormy." Peter waved.

"Good luck. See you later. Maybe." Remus and Sirius left Peter and proceeded to their destinations.

"Padfoot?"

"Yes, Mr Moony?" Remus laughed and smirked at Sirius' formality.

"Alright. _Mr_ Padfoot? Mr Moony requests an absence of teasing towards Minerva McGonagall this particular evening. He would like to note to Mr Padfoot that she is also going through a hard time."

Sirius grinned wickedly, "Mr Padfoot would like to inform Mr Moony that he acknowledges what Mr Moony is saying but adds that there is no guarantee to the teasing that will take place."

Remus sighed. Perhaps nothing would ever change his free willed friend.

"Well, this is my stop." said Remus, giving Sirius with a wave. "I'd best be off."

"Indeed, you'd best be. Keep up with that research, Moony. Have fun."

He winked and Remus rolled his eyes before entering the silent book sanctuary.

* * *

**And there we have it. hoped you liked that chapter. **

**luv you**

**R&R is as you see fit**

**:P**


	8. Chapter 8: Tricking

**I'm back!**

**you know, I think this is the fastest I've ever updated. ever.**

**No, seriously, I think this is a record.**

**oh well, enough talk more type, er, I guess for you readers, it'd be scroll. **

**Scroll away!**

**Disclaimer: I don't *sniffle* own HP, or any of it's wonderful *sniffle* super *sniffle* awesome *sniffle* fantabulous asspects that make it more wonderfully superly awesome and fantabulously special.**

**I know,...even _i_ got bored with the snifflingnessness**

* * *

Tiffany glared at the robed figure in front of her.

"I don't see why you need to bother Remus. He didn't do anything wrong."

"Are you kidding me? He's a Marauder. A conniving little pranking Marauder."

"Oh please. He may be a Marauder, but he's very modest."

"Give me a break. He's just as bad as all his other friends."

"What I don't understand is why you find the need to drag him out to the library this late at night. You know full well that's we're studying together. Otherwise, you knew he wouldn't come. So why did you call him here?" she lied so easily when covering up like this. What was worse was that the studying excuse was believeable

The robed figure fidgeted. "Why do you care?"

"Remus is studying with me. In a way, we are friends and I think I should know what's going on." She raised an eyebrow. "I know now. You were going to trick him out and talk to you about James. That low, even for you."

"Yeah, right. It's not like it was my idea."

"What? For revenge? Yeah, look, you've been craving that for just about forever. You don't like him, that much I understand, but that's no reason to try and hurt him."

"I have every reason to, Tiffany. As a Ravenclaw, I thought you'd be smart enough to stay out of this."

"That's hard to do, seeing as you've taken on my appearance."

The hooded figure growled and threw its head back, revealing a girl with a black ponytail. Tiffany grimaced.

"Give it up. You're a terrible me."

"How'd you find me in the first place?" Tiffany straightened. It was hard to talk to a person who had your looks but wasn't you. Polyjuice potion was her first guess.

"You took my robes during Quidditch practice. I had a friend watch them and they saw you take it, only to return it moments later. But what I want to know if how you got Polyjuice potion so fast. I mean, it takes a month to brew. I understand that you are an advanced brewer but that should have taken along time to brew.

"Well, what'll it be? If you tell me how, I'll let you off and Remus doesn't have to know."

Her double laughed. "That's alright. He doesn't have to know either way." The double whipped out her wand and shot a spell at Tiffany, but Tiffany had already made herself a shield.

"Clever." she said with a smirk, "But very dirty. You're from Slytherin, I presume?"

"Like I'd ever tell you. _Expelliarmus!"_

Tiffany moved behind a book case, flinching as the spell hit the books. She narrowed her eyes. She peeked over and shot a spell at her doppelganger. "_Flippendo!"_ her double avoided it.

"You have terrible aim." she said, shooting another spell at Tiffany.

"Right back at you. You not at smart for a Slytherin, though. Cunning, perhaps, for your plan to draw Remus here, but absolutely stupid."

"Yeah right. How exactly does that work?"

"Like this." Tiffany stared as a figure came behind her doppelganger and shot her with a spell. "_Petrificus Totalus."_

"Remus." she breathed in relief. Thank Merlin he was safe. She wasn't sure what she'd do if he was injured.

"Evening, Tiffany." His brown hair was slightly ruffled but he looked just as handsome as she remembered him, "I'm going to guess this is the culprit?" Tiffany nodded and walked to his side. Remus turned her way and wore a face of concern. "Are you alright? Did she hurt you?"

"I'm fine."

"It was admirable, the way you stood up to her. Thank you."

"I'd like to think it's my inner Gryffindor amidst all my Ravenclaw." she smirked. "And you look alright."

"I've had better days." he said jokingly, then allowed his gaze to return to the figure. "You reckon it's a Slytherin?"

"On my better days. He seemed particularly keen on getting back at you for something. Did you do anything to a Slytherin recently? Namely prank?"

Remus smiled sheepishly. "Severus Snape."

"I figured as much. There was no way such an inexperienced wizard could brew such a complex potion. Severus does have talent in the section, I'll give him that." Remus nodded in agreement.

"I guess there is nothing you have to tell me about James then?" he asked, disappointed. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Not yet. But we can spend the night looking for one." She smiled reassuringly. She hated Remus' frown. It was so out of character. Even if she only looked at him from a far, he'd seemed happy.

"Thank you."

-M-A-G-I-C-

"You know, I think it's getting late. We should sleep. There are other classes to attend to in the morning."

Remus nodded with a yawn. "I agree."

Tiffany stretched and roled up her parchment, slipping it into her hand bag. "Thanks for letting me study with you."

"We're not actually studying, Tiffany."

"I know." She giggled, making Remus think she was cute, "But you have to admit, it is a believable excuse." He shrugged. "Good night."

"Night." He stayed seated in his chair. "I'm going to stay here a while longer."

"Alright." Her smile softened and she gave a minute wave before disappearing out the library door. Remus stared after her, his lips curling into a smile. Tiffany was a very kind and giving. He was almost in awe at her wit and bravery in the situation earlier. Why was she helping him, though? They weren't in the same house. Her excuse to Snape was that they studied together. But that was a false pretence, a story to cover up their research. So what was her motive? They barely knew each other.

He rubbed his eyes and decided to open a book near-by. In an attempt to get his mind off the topic at hand, he began to read, but only to notice that it was the same book he had been reading when he first met Tiffany.

His eyes drooped, the tired fatigue from before catching up to him.

With a resigned sigh, he went to sleep.

-M-A-G-I-C-

"Oh man, oh man, oh man." mumbled Tiffany to herself, rushing back to the library. She had forgotten her notebook. The one that she wrote stories in. The one that she drew in. How could she have been so careless?

The black haired Ravenclaw pushed open the doors of the library, facing a very surprised librarian. "Tiffany? Back already I see. Or is it for your friend?"

"My notebook, actually. Why? Who's here?"

"Remus Lupin, of course."

"Remus?" Tiffany looked around the woman and saw Remus sleeping with his head on the table. Smiling affectionately, she nodded her thanks and walked over to him. "Remus?" she whispered. She giggled as he wrinkled his nose and mumbled something in his sleep. "Remus." she whispered again, but to no avail. A small shiver went through his figure but he remained asleep. With a sigh, she pulled off her robe and placed it on his shoulders. Smiling slightly, she slipping her notebook into her bag and began to put away the books that remained on their table.

It didn't take too long, only she was surprised to see Sirius Black sitting in a vacant chair on her third trip.

"Hello there." he drawled, grinning.

"Hello. Sirius Black, right?"

"That is correct. I believe you are Tiffany, the girl Moony's been seeing after dinner."

"Er-"

"It's alright. You don't have to tell me. I know." he smirked, "It is a bit late for you to be out, don't you think?" Tiffany was having a hard time remaining coherent around Remus' friend, especially with someone with a well known ability of being able to twist anything you say.

"Too true. I have to go. Bye." she stumbled foreword and left the library in a hurry. Tiffany huffed when she got into her dormitory. The silence was comforting in a way, because she wasn't the most social person. The kinship she felt with Remus was more than expected but what could she say?

Silence brings more knowledge than anything else.

* * *

**And bam, it's done.**

**Is it just me, or does it look like my chapters keep getting shorter and shorter?**

**oh well, until next time.**

**[:**

**R&R (read and review)**


	9. Chapter 9: Fighting

**Hi there! okay, so this is another thing on Claire and Cain. If you were paying attention, Claire appears to be working for Voldemort (that's right. i ain't afraid to say the name) on Dumbledore's behalf. But they are working with Cain and some others. So who are the others? And what's their true objective?**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. It hurts to admit it but it's true.**

* * *

"But Cain-"

"Do not go there, Clarie."

The young couple were standing in a deserted corridor, fighting.

"But-"

"No. How many times do I have to tell you? I don't need protection. I was chosen for this job."

"You don't understand. This 'job' is going too far, Cain. The Dark Lord is getting stronger every second. This is our way out."

"You forgot that he is far too powerful. We can't just back out, Clarie. I can't believe you would suggest it. It's too-"

"Cowardly?" Claire laughed. "Cain, we're not Gryffindors. WE don't have to be brave. We just have to survive."

"The others…"

"The others will be just fine. Raven will be leading them anyways. Just, for me, let me handle this. If you leave now, he can keep you safe. The Dark Lord won't find you."

"No one is safe, Claire." he said bitterly, using her real name instead of his nickname for her. "No one."

The arguing continued and if they were paying attention, they'd have noticed a shadow slip up a staircase after listening to their every word.

* * *

**Le gasp! okay, so that's it. 'll try to get more into the storyline next chapter. (I'm not sure if you've noticed but my mystery is very suckish. i'm more of a fantasy adventure girl)**

**Later! Hope you had fun {:**

**Until next time!**

**U can R&R while you wait!**

**jks...maybe...BYE! :3**


	10. Chapter 10: Questioning & Consequences

**hi**

**i'm been feeling really down lately because I have to go back to school in a week. I hate that, don't you? this account gives me support in what I do though. it's very encouraging so if you've been keeping up with this story so far thank you so much.**

**onto the literature!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter because if I did, Sirius Black would still be alive and kickin' in the 7th book.**

* * *

Sirius snickered as the Ravenclaw girl stumbled on her way out. Remus just had to attract the book worms. _She was fairly cute though_, mused Sirius absently. Why hadn't he noticed her before? The young Black returned his attention to the sleeping person at his side. Remus appeared very young when he slept. His face, usually etched with worry for his friends, was now replaced with a light peaceful expression.

Sirius ran a hand over his face and began to wake up the sleeping werewolf. "Moony? You have to get up."

Remus whined pathetically, making Sirius laugh. "Did you want me to use magic to get you there?" Remus shook his head slowly but Sirius figured that he had no intention of moving. "_Levicorpus._" he whispered and Sirius gently lifted Remus up and out of the library.

-M-A-G-I-C-

_There was a series of loud noises that came from all around him. The dark of night covered Remus like a blanket, muffling his senses. His wand was out and ready, the tip glowing with light. "Remus!" he heard someone call. It sounded important, he thought, but who called him? The voice called 'Remus' name again and he analyzed it as a male voice. "Be careful." _

_Suddenly Remus was by the Black Lake. The full moon was reflecting off the lake's pure mirror-like appearance. But he wasn't changing and the illumination was only for a reason. There was a shadow swirling in the middle of the Black Lake. It looked like a dementor. The dementor plunged it's skeletal hand into it's cloak and pulled out James._

"_Prongs!" he called out but no sound came from his lips. He was mute. Remus waved his wand but realized that he no longer had it. Remus watched helplessly as James struggled in the dementor's grasp. The lake had begun to freeze when the dementor showed up and now was a thin skating arena. The dementor let James fall and he dropped onto the cold lake, motionless. _

_Remus made to move to get his friend but suddenly huge gates appeared before him, blocking his way. He turned around and soon found himself trapped within a cage too tall to climb. He looked up and saw something black descend upon him before waking up in his bed._

_-M-A-G-I-C-_

Remus opened his eyes slowly and breathed a deep sigh of relief at the mahogany curtains around him. He put a hand to his forehead, touching small beads of sweat that must have resulted from his dream. The dream. There was so much to learn from that dream, he thought, where to start? He propped himself up on pillows before realizing that he was wearing his pyjamas. "Padfoot?" he asked, pulling back the curtains. His friend smirked and waved.

"Good morning, Moony. Did you have a good sleep?"

"More or less." Sirius had a giddy look on his face; like he knew a secret that Remus didn't. "What's so funny, Padfoot?"

"Nothing." he said, looking down and focussing on his tie. "Get dressed, Moony, we have to go down for food."

"Do we now?"

"Yes, we do." Remus pulled himself out of bed, fighting the urge to crawl back under the warm covers. "So take your shower and hurry. I do not want to be the last one down and not get any food."

"Yes, yes, Paddy. We know you want food."

"No, Moony, no. You do not use that name. Ever." Remus chuckled and turned on the water. The hot gush made him smile and he took off his clothes, letting the shower water engulf him in heat. The steam and warmth allowed Remus to be comforted. The tense area on his back was calming down and the odd scar on his left arm was healing nicely.

Five minutes later, the werewolf had his robes on and was towel drying his hair. Sirius had given up on his tie and left it hanging loosely on his neck, the first button in his white shirt open for comfort's sake.

"How about now?" Sirius stuck his hands in his pant pockets.

"Geez, mate, why so impatient? You aren't keeping a girl waiting are you?"

"Please, a girl would be lucky if I kept her waiting. Besides, if any other bloke made a girl wait they'd probably be dumped before sun down."

"So that's a yes?"

"Hell no. I'm far too worried about Prongs to think about dating someone. Sure, it would help get my mind off things but that's about it," he shrugged, "I don't really care."

Remus nodded and grabbed his tie on the bedpost but noticed another robe there. "Padfoot?"

"Yes, Moony?" he replied, stuffing books into his rucksack.

"Who's is this?" Sirius glanced up and snorted.

"You don't know? It belongs to Tiffany."

"What are you talking about?"

Sirius slung the bag over his shoulder and patted Remus' back. "Know what? You ask her what happened. She was there before me."

Sirius began to make his way to the Great Hall, leaving Remus to think about this notion. Ask Tiffany? But why? She had left the library and gone back to her dormitory. There was nothing else she could have done. Or seen. This was an interesting thought. Perhaps she'd come back.

"Moony! Quit your thinking and let's go. Save the brain work for class." Remus walked over to Sirius' place at the door and left with him.

-m-a-g-i-c-

Tiffany flipped her hair back again, moving her bangs out of her eyes once more. Remus was sitting right beside her in this class. He hardly noticed the fact till that day. He had become more aware of her since Sirius' comment that morning. He watched her every move with a kind of interest that was scaring him. Why was he watching her? What did he get out of watching her?

There were no answers, no knowledge gained, but, on another hand, there was. This observation gave Remus something new and different. Remus learned that if Tiffany tapped her foot it meant she was bored and wanted to move. When she played with the edge of her shirt, she was shy and nervous. Remus also found that she hated attention. She hated it with a kind of vehemence that visible when she was put in the spotlight. Whenever this happened, she'd try to limit the attention and would usually push someone else into the spotlight instead. Another thing Remus found interesting was that she was fourth on the list. He's never really noticed before but when he thought about it, it did make sense. First and second place would always have Lily or James' name tagged to it; Remus would always be third or higher but Tiffany... Her position was often not announced by their teachers because the teachers themselves cared mainly on the top three.

Presently, Tiffany was listening to the teacher, her hand moving an ink quill to write notes on the class. She reminded him of Lily in a way.

"Mr Lupin?" Remus looked up at Professor Flitwick curiously, "I'm obligated to ask you if you are paying attention." Sirius laughed quietly to himself and looked at his friend expectantly.

"Yes, Professor."

"I hope so. This is the second time and if I catch you doing this again, I'll have to give you a detention. Prefect or not."

"Understood. Professor." Professor Flitwick nodded slightly before continued the lesson. Remus saw Tiffany giggle and turn her head so that she was focussing on the lesson at hand once more.

She put her quill to the parchment again and this time Remus noticed something different. Tiffany was writing, but her eyes were on the teacher. Her hand pressed the quill into the parchment, forming words as perfectly as if she was focussing on the page itself. _Amazing, _he thought,_ James could sure learn a thing or two from her. _It would prevent him from getting in trouble with Sirius every time they tried passing notes too_._

Remus felt a certain interest in Tiffany now; like she could provide something that he'd never had before.

A sudden idea came and passed over Remus and the young werewolf pulled his bag on his lap, rummaging through the insides for the robe from before. He was so focussed on this action that he completely missed Tiffany's conversation with Professor Flitwick.

"Alright. Be sure to come back before dinner to retrieve today's homework."

"Thank you, Professor." said Tiffany, packing her things and going out the door, leaving Remus at the mercy of their short teacher.

"Mr Lupin!" Remus straightened up immediately, stuffing the bag from view.

"Yes, sir?"

Sirius was seconds from bursting out in laughter. Never had Remus been the one to get tagged for trouble. Never. This spotlight was reserved for Sirius and James; Remus just got caught up with it. This was a first.

"I need a little help after class. Do you mind meeting me here later?"

"No, sir." Remus bowed his head in shame. Sirius let it out in a gasp and soon the whole class was laughing. Remus would have laughed too if he hadn't been too ashamed of his actions.

"Mr Black? Would you like to join your friend?"

Sirius stopped almost immediately and gave Flitwick his most serious expression. "No thank you, sir."

"Good." Professor Flitwick continued his lesson, unaware that Sirius had put a small silencing charm around himself and that he had started to laugh again. Remus groaned with depression and was suddenly smacked his forehead. He looked down and saw that the projectile was a piece of paper. **(A.N: the bold is Sirius and italics is Remus) **

**Oh, Moony, you are so in trouble**

Remus snuck a glance at Sirius whom was disabling his silencing charm.

_Shut up, Padfoot,_ He wrote before sending it back in Sirius' direction.

**How could u let yourself be caught, Moony? If anything u avoid the teachers' punishment. **He wrote back, laughing a bit more.

_I suppose but I deserved it this time_

**This time. Well, have fun in detention. Tell me all about it**

Remus sighed at this and just nodded before stuffing the paper under his parchment. Detention was such a foreign experience to him without his friends. _I suppose,_ he thought to himself,_ there's a first for everything._

**here we go**

**we're done**

**yay!**

**R&R**


	11. Chapter 11: Detention With Benefits

**hiya, this is a new chapter and i hope this advances the story if anything**

**for those of you who don't really care about my moonshine (Tiffany) you can skip this chapter, but you'll have to wait for the next chapter if that's what you choose.**

**g'luck**

**Disclaimer: It ain't mind. Never was, never will be. Sad, ain't it?**

* * *

Remus knocked on the door of Professor Flitwick's Charms class with his bag slung across his back.

"Come in." came a voice from inside. Remus pushed it open to reveal his small Charms teacher sitting behind his desk, his hand holding a quill. "Ah, Mr Lupin, welcome. I'm so sorry you had to come."

"It's alright, sir, it was my mistake and I suppose this is the best way to pay for it."

"It's good that you've understood but detention is detention so I want you to clean up and wash the chalk boards. Manually."

"Alright, sir."

"Good. I'll see you down at dinner." Professor Flitwick made for the door, but stopped once he got there, "Oh, and Mr Lupin?" he asked, "When Ms Lue Tam comes for her homework I'm going to need you to tell her what she has to practice, make sense?"

"Yes, sir." he said surprised. He would get to talk to her about the night before after all. That was lucky. But until she came...

Remus observed the large chalk boards with interest. In front of them, there was a small bucket of water with a wash towel. He slipped off his robe and rolled up the sleeves of the collared shirt underneath. Remus grabbed the cloth and wrung it out before putting it to use on chalkboards.

"Hello? Professor Flitwick?" Tiffany peered into the classroom. "Professor?"

"Tiffany?" she froze at the sound. She looked around and drew her wand, brandishing it a bit.

"Who is it? Reveal yourself." Her voice trembled a little bit, revealing her unease.

"Hey, calm down, it's just me." She saw a tuff of brown hair bob and then a figure came up from behind a desk.

She lowered her wand and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, Remus."

He smiled. "Did I scare you? I'm sorry." He gestured to the half wet board. "Detention."

She raised an eyebrow and raised her wand again, this time at the black board. "_Auguamenti."_ A stream of water came rushing out from the tip of Tiffany's wand, covering the entire board in water. It soon stopped and she wiped the edge on her robe. "Done." She grinned at Remus whose gaze was flipping between the board and her.

"Um, but the board-"

"You don't have to do it now, it's done." She slipped her wand back into her cloak and gave a triumphant look. "Now, let's go to the Great Hall." He stared at her, "What?"

"I…it's just… never mind."

She smiled. "Never minding. Hey, Remus? Where's Professor Flitwick? He said he'd be here to give me today's assignment."

"Oh, uh, I was supposed to give that to you." He walked over to Professor Flitwick's desk and pulled a piece of parchment off. "It just tells you what spells we have to review for tomorrow. We need to try them for our N.E.W.T.s." Tiffany took it and looked it over, her lips pressed on her knuckles.

"It doesn't look to hard." She shrugged and folded the parchment, slipping it into her robe pocket. "Well, I suppose that's it then. Would you like to go to the Great Hall now?" she surprised herself at her boldness and almost instantly felt nervous. What if he didn't want to go with her?

"'Course." Remus started to unroll his sleeves when Tiffany noticed something.

"Wait," Tiffany went over and touched his arm. She stared hard at the space of skin right over his elbow. There was a pink line that ran up and into the sleeve, reminding her of a cut. "What happened here?" she looked up at his amber brown eyes curiously. They widened at her question.

"I-"

Tiffany let his arm go and blushed. "Sorry. Didn't mean it. You have your privacy and stuff." She brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I should just go."

"I'll go with you." His voice sounded strained but sincere. He _wanted_ to go with her, even though she'd made him uncomfortable. _He's so sweet._ Remus moved to his table and grabbed his robe. Tiffany picked up his bag and held it in her arms.

"Thanks. I've got this. You can put on your robes." He nodded mutely and unrolled his sleeves, hiding the pick line from view. Could it have been a scar? Remus put on his robe and held his hand out for his bag. Tiffany playfully shook her head and headed out the door. "I told you, I got this. Now let's go."

She walked towards and out of the class room, sparing Remus a look that plainly asked, _"Are you coming or not?" _

"So…"

"Yep?"

"Can I have my bag back?"

She shook her head. "No way. According to the pink scar on your arm, you are recovering from some injury." She took a wild guess at the line, half hoping that it would be right. Remus looked down sheepishly and she knew that she'd been right. "So if you're injured, there's no way I'd let you carry your bag."

"You've got to be kidding me." He sighed.

"Not at all," She laughed. "What'd you do detention for anyway?"

Remus stumbled a bit. "Uh, well, I was," he looked very odd, as if he wasn't sure what to say, "distracted."

"Really?" Tiffany raised an eyebrow, "because I have a feeling that you're not telling the whole truth."

"Well," Remus furrowed his brow as if he was thinking very deeply about his next few words. "There was a robe that Sirius found on me last night. In Charms, I had this idea that-" he looked down as if embarrassed at his thought.

"That?"

"That it belonged to you."

"Well, it does." He looked up, "After I left, I realized that I had forgotten my notebook. When I came back you were sleeping on the desk. You looked kinda cold so I gave you my robe." She coloured a bit at the memory, "Suppose I shouldn't have because it's caused you so much trouble." Tiffany looked downcast. Why did she always have to hurt him or cause him trouble? _Always_ indirectly.

"It's nothing compared to the troubles I usually get in." he smiled a reassuring smile. "So don't worry about it. You cause me more trouble by thinking that you've caused me trouble. Detentions are never troubling. Lonely if anything, and even then, it's not so bad."

"I guess, but-"

"Here." On second, his bag was in her arms, the next he was a few feet away, opening it up and pulling out a long dark cloak. "Yours." He tossed it to her and grinned. Tiffany caught her robe and turned it around so that she could inspect the crest. He had been correct. The blue black Ravenclaw crest stood out and she traced it lightly.

"Thanks."

"Alright then," Tiffany looked up at him, "Shall we continue?"

Her mouth quirked at the side. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

**Finito!**

**alrighty, so the next chapter will be with Lily. Haven't heard from her in so long that it's sad.**

**R&R**

**(Oh, and btw, can any one tell me what day I'm on because I have no idea! seriously, i started this story but I don't know what day I started. Tuesday? Monday? Help plz!)**


	12. Chapter 12: Regrets and Boredom

Hey! yes, I know, it's been friggin' forever and I'm sorry

**i had exams and stuff**

**there's nothing I can do**

**gomen, pardon me, my deepest apologies, sorry, je suis desole and sorry in every language**

**i really am**

**so, let the story commence**

**it isn't much but I thought i should give you something because I haven't posted in so long**

**Enjoy 3**

**Disclaimer: J.K Rowling's beautiful work involves creativity, imagination, and skill; all of which I don't posses hence the fact that I didn't write the HP series. I know. I'm sad too**

* * *

'Lily, please!'

'What?' she said irritably, refusing to take her eyes away from the book in front of her.

'Let us set you up!'

'I already told you, I'm not going out with anyone,' Lily turned a page of her book, 'besides, we have N.E.W.T.s to study for.' Cassandra folded her arms over her chest.

'Lily, you can't use that excuse forever.'

'It's not an excuse, just a reality, Cassy. I'm not _interested._'

'You don't believe that, Lils," Alice swiped the book from her friend's hand with a flourish, "We know you better than that.'

'Alice, can I have my book back?'

'Nope,' she said, popping the "p".

'Alice, please don't joke around.'

'I'm not. This is doing nothing for you,' then, in a whisper, 'It's okay to miss him. That's the way things are.'

'I. Don't. Miss. Him.' she seethed, turning to her bag and rumagging in it till she found another book. She smiled, satisfied, and opened it, only to have her eyes widen, shutting her book hurriedly.

'Geez Louise, Lil, talk about temperamental.' smirked Cassandra. She gently removed the book from Lily's hands before flipping open to the page Lily had just been on, it's edge dog-eared. She scanned the words and then breathed out a sort laugh. 'I see what's goin' on here.' Her expression was one of mischief. 'You _do_ miss James!'

'What?' Lily cried while Alice said, 'How could you tell that from a book?'

'I'm a genius,' she proclaimed with a wide grin. Alice raised an eyebrow, 'Okay, it has his name on the page.'

'It does?' asked Alice curiously reaching for the book, but Lily's swift hand grabbed it back.

'No. Cassy's just making it up.'

'I _am_ an excellent story teller.' Then, 'Listen, Lily, you can deny it as much as you want but the truth is that, deep down, you really do care about him. Somehow, someway, you care.'

'I'm too tired for this conversation. I'm going to bed.' Lily took both her books and stuffed them into her bag roughly. Her green eyes flashed, annoyed with Cassy and Alice. 'And I don't miss him.'

She stood and stomped out of the Great Hall. Half the Gryffindor students were perplexed at this action but most carried on as if nothing had happened. 'Well, isn't this an interesting development?'

'Indeed it is.'

'I feel like I'm missing something here.' Cassandra and Alice turned to look at Frank who was sitting beside Alice eating quietly.

'Lily misses James. It's simple, dear.' He nodded and continued eating, blushing ever so slightly as Alice took his hand.

Oh, Ali, you're just bursting with boldness today.'

'What are you talking about?'

'With Lily. I wasn't sure who was gonna bring up James but you just said it right to her face. 'You amaze me sometimes, you know that?'

'I am brilliant.' Frank looked like he agreed but said nothing. "Thanks, but honestly, Cassy, she can't focus on her school work forever. One day, one day soon, the bloody girl's going to realize that James is the only one here that will put up with her freakish mood swings and feverishly amazing work habits.'

'You, may be right there, Ali. James is one of the only people I know that is as stubborn as Lily is. They're a perfect match.'

'I know. Her over-working makes up for his under-working. It all balances it out.'

'It does, doesn't it?' Cassandra smiled while looking in the direction Lily had left in. 'She'll find it out soon enough, I suppose.'

'I'm bored!' Peter gave Sirius a sympathetic glance.

'I know. You've said that quite a few times.'

'But you're not doing anything about it.'

Peter frowned, 'You really are prank deprived.' Sirius nodded solemnly.

'I really am. I'm surprised we haven't done anything since Snivillus' prank,' Sirius rested his head on his forearms, lying down on the table. 'Bored!' he strung out the word.

'Padfoot, don't bother Wormtail with your whining.'

'Moony!' Sirius' face lit up at the sight of his friend. He sat up straight and clapped his hands together in excitement, as if Remus was Santa Claus and Sirius was about to receive a present. 'So…?'

'So?' Remus was putting food onto his plate and giving him a quizzical look. 'What's wrong?'

'Did you talk to Tiffany?'

'You talked to Tiffany?' Peter was silenced by a glare from Sirius.

'Erm, kinda.'

'And?'

'It was her robe.'

'Knew it!' he ginned widely, 'So, are you dating her yet?'

'What are you talking about?' Remus' eyes went wide with shock and, Sirius could see, embarrassment.

'You mean you haven't bonded at all?'

'Padfoot, you cannot expect me to believe that one detention could end with me dating Tiffany.'

'Oh, but I can. I see the way you look at her, Moony, it's torturous.'

'I have no idea what you are referring to but I'm sure that it's completely wrong.'

'But, I'm not so sure. This is due to the fact that you've never looked twice at a girl for something other than school work.' He gave him a look. 'You can't tell me that's not true.'

Remus shook his head and became absorbed in his food. He looked so deep in thought that Sirius had to hold himself back to keep from distracting him. `See what I mean, Wormtail? BORED!'

Peter laughed a bit before returning his attention to his own food. Sirius grumbled something and stood up.

'Padfoot? Where are you going?'

'To the kitchens, of course. The house elves can cheer me up.'

'You know, I think you go there just for their food, not their company.'

'Maybe, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.'

Sirius excused himself, ran past the Gryffindor tables, and out into the halls.

* * *

**done**

**i'll post another tomorrow**

**i promise**

**even if i have to stay up all night**

**(new semester, new determination. what can i say)**

**R&R if it suits your fancy**


	13. Chapter 13: Thinking

**there we go**

**as promised**

**I never said it'd be a long chapter guys. :P**

**Disclaimer: Tragically unowned by me (that kinda sounds like a song. it'd be a really good song too!)**

* * *

James was really tired. His blindfold was on tighter than before and the binding spell was fresh and strong. He breathed in and out cautiously. He never knew what was going on around him because the silencing charm had been used as well. All was quiet.

How long had he been there? He was lucky that the Death Eater came to see him because she allowed him to know the time of day. She had come last night and said that it was Thursday. Thursday. And he'd disappeared…when? Saturday night?

James mind was spinning. How _had_ they gotten in the castle in the first place? He had been sleeping.

And then, the next moment, he was bound head to foot. He yawned widely and leaned backward, knowing that there was a solid there for support. He tried to sleep. Vaguley, he wondered if his friends were alright. _Sirius'll tear up Hogwarts looking for me,_ he mused,_ but Remus and Peter should keep him in line. They'll manage. _Then,_ I wonder how Lily is. Probably glad now that she's shot of me. Still, I kinda wish she'd miss me._ This thought had occurred to him multiple times and it was followed with, _I bet she is and is just too embarrassed to say._

James shut his eyes tighter and tried to image her. It calmed him down. His heart rate slowed, he became almost instantly more tranquil. "_Lily_," he murmured before his consciousness was lost.

* * *

**done (I still think it would've made a great song**

**until next time on: Total. Drama- i'm joking**

**see u next chapter! **

**R&R **


	14. Chapter 14: Visiting

**ohayo! I'm back with a new chapter. feel free to flame this because I deserve it. why haven't i been posting? SCHOOL! and i'm lazy, so lay off.**

**so this chapter isn't very crucial but the chapters to come are. if you're not sure what day it is (cause God knows I don't) i think it's Thursday night. have fun, kittens.**

**Disclaimer: The original characters and the Harry Potter series, in and of itself, is owned by J.K. Rowling, the most fantbulous lady ever!**

* * *

Sirius walked out of the Great Hall quickly and made his way down a different hallway. He turned a corner and bumped into someone almost immediately. The boy, he presumed, fell down. Sirius lent him a hand.

"Hey, are you o-" then he froze, seeing who it was. That it wasn't just any boy. It was his brother. Regulus.

"Sirius." said Regulus coldly, standing up on his own, ignoring the hand of his brother. "Where are you going?"

"The kitchen."

"I thought you had detention all week."

"Oh yeah! Thanks." said Sirius, not sounding very thankful at all. Regulus glared and continued walking towards the Great Hall. "Say hi to mum for me, will you?" called Sirius after him only to receive nothing in return.

With a sigh, Sirius continued walking, changing his direction. Regulus was right when he said he had detention; Sirius mentally smacked himself for forgetting. McGonagall was going to murder him.

Or so he thought.

See, when Sirius made it to her Transfiguration classroom, it was empty save one note written on her black board.

_Dear Mr Black,_

_You are excused from detention for the rest of the week due to some timing issues. You will make up today next week on Monday. Try not to get into too much trouble._

_Professor McGonagall_

"Sweet," whistled Sirius as he raced back in the direction of the kitchens. With a smile gracing his mischievous face, he tickled the pear, which giggled shyly before allowing it's self to become a green door handle. He turned it and stepped into the bustling kitchen.

"Master Black! Master Black!"

"It's just Sirius, Finny."

"Oh, Sirius Black, sir, you don't know how happy Finny is to see you, sir." Her high voice squealed as she hugged his leg. Sirius was quite tall, taller than James or Remus, so Finny was just a bit taller than his knees. Her bat-like ears made her to be up near his hips.

Despite the height difference, Sirius laughed. "Cheers. You wouldn't happen to have any food for me, would you?"

The other house elves that were mainly cleaning their kitchen grinned widely and bombarded Sirius with gifts of chocolates and treats. He nodded to each one of them, thanking them with a large smile on his face. "Thank you, Willow. Oh, Caddy, thank you as well." Sirius had come to the kitchen so often he knew most of the elves' names by heart, which was something because he didn't know half the students at Hogwarts. They all bowed exceptionally low before returning to their work, each one eager to impress.

"Would Sirius Black like tea?"

"Yeah, OK."

It was rushed to him immediately and he mumbled out 'thank you's before taking a long drink. It flowed down his throat soothingly, making his muscles relax. The elves grinned widely and bowed before continuing their work.

"Is Sirius Black here to visit the kitchens, sir?"

"'Course, but I'm here to visit all of you, too." Finny clapped her hands together cheerfully and rummaged through her pocket. What she was wearing looked very much like an apron but it had little pockets imbedded everywhere. Finny searched through each one until finally she found what she was looking for. It was a small glass orb, curved perfectly to resemble something like, _what had Lily called it_?, a light bulb. But Sirius knew better. He knew exactly what this magical item was called.

"Really, Finny? For me?" Finny nodded happily and grinned,

"For you, sir." Finny found it when she was cleaning and Finny thought Sirius Black might like it, sir." Sirius smirked affectionately and patted Finny's head, taking the Remembrall from her. **[A/N: Is that how you spell it? Remembrall?]**

"Well, thank you." He said, pocketing the glass orb.

"But you are leaving, sir?"

Sirius nodded and stood. Thousands of other house elves crammed near him trying to give him food and other items to take back. They knew of his frequent visits here. He gave a wave before departing through the portrait.

*M*A*G*I*C*

Sirius kept walking being extra careful not to drop any of his newly acquired gifts. The food was precariously balanced but he was careful not to do too much damage.

A loud gong was heard throughout the castle. It went on once, twice … 9 times. Sirius frowned. It was only 9? They must've eaten early. He continued to walk towards Gryffindor tower, the halls littered with people. Some of them (mainly the girls) waved his way, giggling at the items in his arms.

"Do you need help, Sirius?" asked a blonde girl, Julie or something like that.

"Naw, it's alright. See you 'round."

She smiled and went back to talking with her friends. Julie always held his interest. She was kind of like his side. He'd date her when he was bored. She was nothing more than a way to pass the time. They both knew that. Julie was a very pretty girl too. She had a habit of getting bored of people very easily. She tolerated Sirius as he tolerated her. It a perfect arrangement that wasn't permanent.

"Hi, Sirius," said Saba Word, waving to him. He waved back wordlessly, smiling a bit. Saba was a pretty Hufflepuff girl with sleek black hair. She was very pretty but she wasn't the smartest. She was definitely supportive, even if she didn't think much.

Speaking of thinking… Sirius allowed his mind to think about Remus and Tiffany. Every time he ran into them it was when they were together at the library. Was it? There was no way Remus could be dating her. He was like Lily; obsessed with school work. But if they were dating, was the library their meeting place? Or were they meeting in the middle of the night? Did Tiffany know he was a werewolf? If not, what would she do if she did? Run and hide? Freak out? Or maybe, she would tell everyone… He couldn't risk that.

If she was interested in their Moony she would have to go through the other three members (but Peter couldn't do much so it was really just Sirius and James. if they ever found him, that is). At this, Sirius was struck with a (in his opinion) brilliant idea. He would go investigate right then and there. He'd just have to return his elf-given gifts. And that wouldn't be too hard.

* * *

**Done. See you on the flip side.**

**(by that I mean the next chapter :P )**

**thanks for reading :3**


	15. Chapter 15: Meeting

**hello again! flip side accomplished. **

**let me introduce you to chapter 15. It doesn't do much. instead, it gives you a short idea of what Dumbledore has done with some of Voldemort's Death Eaters. This includes Raven, their leader, Shine, Knight, Fox, Ash, Bell, Note, Secret and Angel.**

**These characters may be of greater importance as this story wears on. Well, do your best to get through this.**

**I wish you luck**

**Disclaimer: HP isn't mine, although I wish it was all the time.**

* * *

"Raven? What's the news?"

"James is still in the Dark Lord's clutches and it is unlikely that we will be able to get him out of there on our own. We still don't know what the Dark Lord's plans actually are."

"Understandable, Raven, after all, Lord Voldemort is very careful and cunning." Raven nodded and stepped back into line, adjusting the mask. They had been asked to retain their Death Eater masks to keep their identities a secret. Even there, in Dumbledore's study, the Headmaster wanted their identities hidden from the others. Even their names had been changed to prevent suspicion. "Shine, what do you have to report?"

Shine, a blond, stepped forward. "The Dark Lord appears to be waiting for something, Headmaster, something that none of us have any idea about. There has been talk in the circle about an attack on a Muggle community but we aren't sure. The Dark Lord insists on staying in his current hiding place until further notice."

"Interesting." Shine stepped back and Knight switched with her. "Knight, care to tell me the state of the students?"

"Many people, students and professors alike, are very worried about James Potter. Your faculty are talking about it as we speak. The abduction was covered up with a coincidental mishap between Lily Evans and the boy himself."

"I know more of this, sir."

"Angel, what surprise, I didn't think you'd make it."

"I was delayed last time, sir. It's about James' friends."

"Ah, yes. Sirius, Remus and Peter. All exceptionally young and brilliant minds, each in their own way." Mused Dumbledore with a laugh, "Tell me, Angel, what is their connection to the fight?"

"If rumours can be considered a healthy source of information, than Lily Evans' fight with James Potter was heard by the entire Gryffindor house. Including Sirius, Remus and Peter. The three friends, despite their mourning for the loss of their friend the first few days, are expected to sneak out early Saturday morning in 2 days time to-"

"Rescue their friend, of which I am well aware. Did any of you know about this?"

Raven nodded; Shine and Knight shook their heads; Angel remained still. The other members in the room; Fox, Bell, Ash, Note; all shook their heads as a no. Secret nodded his head as well and stepped forward to join Angel and Raven near Dumbledore's desk. "Secret, you know of this as well?"

"I am of Gryffindor house, sir, I heard the fight. It wasn't the best and it was the harshest so far." Dumbledore nodded knowingly, "But sir, if I may ask, have you talked to his friends about the incident?"

"I have invited Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew here to speak with me on the matter. Remus and Peter came but Sirius skipped. I will not force him to come here. I figured that he deserved some time to mourn the loss of his friend. After all, in his opinion, even if James was kidnapped, there is a possibility that he is heavily wounded or dead."

"That is not the case, sir." put in Raven and Dumbledore smiled.

"I understand that. I know from your reports and from my own experience that Lord Voldemort will only kidnap if it is in his interest. If he is waiting for something to occur, we can guarantee that he wants James alive when it happens. After all, Mr Potter appears to be a valuable asset to him, seeing as he is still alive and uninjured.

"What we must find out is his motive. If Mr Potter's friends intend to rescue him then they must have clues. I'd like all of you to try your best to find out how to help them in any way possible, understand?"

"Yes, sir." They said in unison.

"Good. I'll see you all tomorrow then. Good night."

One by one the crowd of people left until only Raven remained, waiting. "Raven? You're still here? What's the matter?"

"Sir, I am here to discuss the matter of James' friends, as well."

"Discuss away, my dear, I've got time."

"Well, if James really is kidnapped for a greater purpose, and we think he has been, what happens if his friends find him? What will we do?"

"What we always do, Raven, watch, wait, and deliberate."

"But what if we don't have that kind of time when it happens?"

Dumbledore stood up and came around his table, looking directly at Raven's face. It was almost like he could see behind the mask. "Raven, it has occurred to me many times that you and the others aren't ready for this. That you are too young and the stakes are too great."

"Professor, we can take care of ourselves -" started Raven but Dumbledore cut in.

"No, no, Raven, let me finish. You and the other members have bravely infiltrated Lord Voldmort's inner circle. For that, I am thankful. But I can't have you do this forever. The majority of you attend school here and your academic work is of the utmost importance."

"But this mission that you've given us let's us gain experience." Raven pleaded.

"Perhaps, but it can also get you killed, something that I don't want to happen to any of you. You all have your lives in front of you. I am old, Raven, I won't last forever."

"Professor, please –"

"And it might be time for you to remember that this is not your war."

"It's too late, Professor, it already is."

Dumbledore stared at Raven, his blue eyes shady and calculating. "Perhaps you are right. It _has_ become your fight. But it doesn't have to be. Raven, you don't have to do this. I won't think any less of you if you stop now."

"I can't do that, sir; a life is on the line. If I can protect it, then I will."

"I can't always protect you, Raven."

"I know, Professor. I also know that this school has taught me how to protect myself. If being apart of Voldemort's circle can help you then I will stay there until I receive further instructions to do otherwise. I won't abandon this half way."

"And you're sure about this?"

Raven nodded. "I am."

"Well, then you may stay. Go get some sleep. You have a rough days ahead of you."

"But sir, my question-"

"About Mr Potter friends? Yes, they will be fine. They're all resourceful and smart. They'll figure it out. Now go back to your common room. Staying awake on a night like this is…unadvisable."

"Yes, sir."

"Good night, Professor."

"Oh, and Raven?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful on your way back. The night, as beautiful as it is, carries some of the biggest dangers."

"Understood. Good night, Professor Dumbledore."

Raven shut the door, leaving Dumbledore's study behind.

* * *

**I'm done now.**

**I hope you enjoyed it. More is to come.**

**No need to worry [:**

**thanks for reading!**

**R&R if it suites your fancy. **


	16. Chapter 16: Confronting

**back! sorry, I know it's been a while. but my friends renee and thesmartoneisodd really motivated me**

**love you guys!**

**also, to all you people that actually keep up with this story, I really appreciate it. it's weird. I didn't think this story would be foun.**

**oh well [:**

**on to the story (this one's for you flute buddy)**

****

**Disclaimer: HP is not in my possession and it's genius can never be re-created...*sniffle***

* * *

Lily stormed through the halls of Hogwarts, her face set in an angry scowl. How dare they? How dare they make fun of her! She was Head Girl and they had no right… She stopped suddenly. She had made a wrong turn and she was now on the opposite end of the school. Gryffindor Tower was the other way. With a sigh she turned around and tried to cool down. She shouldn't be getting so worked up about this. It was so petty.

So why did she have a problem?

"Oi! Evans!" Lily turned around, startled. She almost thought that it would be James, but he was gone and the speaker was a girl; many girls in fact. A large group that greatly resembled James' fan girls came towards her.

"Kellie? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." Kellie retorted, arms crossed, barely covering her green crest.(**A/N: By this I mean that she's a Slytherin)** "What are you doing on our end, Evans?"

"It was a mistake, honestly." she said. Lily was feeling extremely intimidated now. The girls had now formed a semi –circle around Lily, with her against a wall. She was surrounded.

"Tut, tut. Little Princess Evans has lost her way and her gorgeous knight isn't here." mocked Kellie, her face a mask of disgust.

"Knight? Potter? No thank you. You can have him."

"Oh, I'd love to, but he's so deeply infatuated with you that we can't do anything. What's worse is that we don't even stand a chance because he's gone and it's your fault."

"Um, excuse me? My fault?"

"Don't act all innocent with us. We know exactly what you said to James that caused him to leave."

"And what if he was kidnapped?"

"James is too good to be kidnapped." piped up a girl near the back.

"Lucy's right, Evans, James is too good for that."

"And you are pathetic."

"You know what, Evans?" said Piper, stepping forward. She was a Ravenclaw, "You make me sick. You don't even understand the position you're in. You have no right to call us pathetic when you yourself are pathetic. You turn James down and practically slap him in the face every chance you get. You don't understand how hard it is to get that kind of attention. You're given it freely and you just throw it away like trash. What kind of heartless broad are you?"

"Piper!" Lily gaped. She never thought that Piper could be so cruel, or that Kellie would lead what seemed like a full scale attack on her. The girls all wore menacing scowls and Lily recognized a few from James fan club. Rebecca; Gryffindor; Ashley; Ravenclaw; Bree; Ravenclaw: Chantel; Slytherin; Tanya; Gryffindor. The names stopped coming as soon as all the girls advanced all at once. She drew her wand, preparing for a fight but it was quickly swiped by Angelyn, the Hufflepuff Chaser. Her eyes widened. "Listen, I still don't understand why you guys are doing this."

"You told James to leave. You said you hated to see him and that you would've preferred to never see him again."

Lily gasped. "How-?"

"We're not stupid. We have members of this group from Gryffindor, you know? Honestly, Evans, half the school knows, if not more. It's your fault."

Lily vision blurred and she stared at the floor. My fault? "But he's so annoying and troublesome and immature-"

"But he loved you and you turned him down the harshest way." spat Piper, her wand out and pointing at Lily.

"Let's teach her what happens when she messes with James." snarled Evelyn, a Slytherin. They got closer. Her eyes widened. What were they going to do to her? She shut her eyes now, resigned, braced for pain or humiliation.

"Lily Evans?" her green eyes popped open. The crowd had suddenly moved away from her, leaving a small aisle of space. And in that aisle stood one person.

"Tiffany?"

*M*A*G*I*C*

"Tiffany?" the black hared girl blinked twice. It was true; Lily Evans was in the center of a group that looked like a very angry mob. She'd been preparing to help a girl from Slytherin because this was their territory, but instead here was Lily, wandless, eyes closed as if prepared to die.

She kept her wand out and advanced to where Lily was standing. "What are you doing here?" she hissed, taking her hand and turning to escape.

Kellie blocked her way instead. "I don't think so, Tiffany, Evans is here and she deserves punishment."

"Nobody deserves this brand of punishment, Kellie, she's coming with me."

"And why is that? We out number you, Tiffany, and you don't need to be here."

"But I do," said Tiffany, snatching Lily's wand back, "Dumbledore asked me to bring Lily to him and if we're not there soon, I think he'd be suspicious and start looking for us."

Kellie scowled but didn't press Tiffany for detail. Instead, she strode away angrily, the rest of the girls dispersed with her. "Disgusting," she said aloud. Tiffany handed Lily her wand and began to walk away as well. Lily was safe and she had no other reason to be there.

"Wait, Tiffany!" she stopped, allowing Lily to catch up. "I needed to thank you."

"Don't bother, it's no big deal."

"I thought Dumbledore needed to see me, though," said Lily, frowning.

She shook her head, "A lie here and there isn't wrong. Especially if it's for protection."

"Either way, thank you. I didn't think I'd make it out of there alright."

"I see. Lily, we're not close friends are we?"

"No."

"But you trust me, right?"

"You are a prefect, so I'm going to say yes."

"Then can you tell me what business you had on this side of the castle?"

"I – I got lost."

"You're Head Girl. How did you manage to get lost, and on the Slytherin's end, no less?"

"I didn't mean to."

"You didn't mean to wander near the Slytherin's den? That might be believable, though. I saw you rush out of the Great Hall, but I didn't think you'd end up here."

Lily shrugged. "I wasn't really focussed on where I was going."

"You're sure? Did something bad happen?"

"Well…" she fidgeted awkwardly.

"If you don't want to talk to me, it's fine."

"It's not that I don't want to talk to you, it's just –"

"-you have other friends to talk to. I understand."

"You mean Cassandra and Alice? I can't talk about it with them."

"Why not? They are your best friends, unless… Lily, did you get in a fight with them?"

"No, not at all. We just…" Lily fidgeted again.

"Lily?" said Tiffany gently, sensing her discomfort, "I'll be in the library if you need to talk." said Tiffany after seeing her discomfort.

"I-"

"See you later, Lily." Tiffany walked away, putting her wand into her robe. She then turned the corner, disappearing from sight.

* * *

**Done! aren't you proud of me! :3**

**Guess not cuase i'm so slow :(**

**Oh well, thanks for reading. u should get a medal or something just for this. it sucks so bad too!**

**mental high-five guys!**

**(Renee, shoulder-bump)**

**R&R**


	17. Chapter 17: Learning

**feel free to flame, guys, i deserve it**

**it is unbelieveable how long it's been. I feel pretty bad. I tried, I really did, but things came up and...**

**stupid school...**

**of course, blaming school doesn't really help. I suck. I know. Well, read if you're still interested. I'd appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer: Je ne le possedez pas. (i don't own it)**

* * *

_Shadows were around him again. It was familiar. The dementor-looking creature appeared holding James, a scythe near his friend's throat. "No!" his screams, silent as always, were created and not heard in this desolate place. He was in his cage again, the same one with tall bars that prevented escape._

_The lake, icy and bleak, broke as Sirius came running for his friend. He began to drown, arms flailing as the lake consumed him._

_The moon was like a spot light, illuminating every tragedy of his dream. Peter was nowhere to be seen and the shadows had already consumed his parents. He shouted and pleaded with the black robed creature who just threw it's head back and laughed. It was a dark, cruel laugh that reminded him of Fenrir Greyback, only it was worse. Much worse._

_A cold feeling gripped him and suddenly all the shadows were rushing towards him, encasing him in cold blankets of air. His vision began to fade as other smaller cloaked figures gathered to the bigger one that held James. They laughed as James struggled and wand less. One of the smaller dementors looked in his direction but it's dark face was just a shadow._

_His eyes closed, vision blurring before he was in his room once more._

*M*A*G*I*C*

Remus opened his eyes and stared at the bed next to him. It was James empty bed empty but neat. He sighed. Over the years, James had proven himself worthy of the Gryffindor title. He was brave, trustworthy, and honest; everything a Gryffindor should be. What was more was the fact that James had befriended him, something no other person had done before.

Remus heard a rustle to his right. He sat up and looked around nervously. Peter was staying in the Common Room and Sirius was in detention. Frank was in the Common Room as well, with Alice. Who else…

"James?" a small head popped up beside Remus' bed, freaking him out.

"Remus?" he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Sirius." Sirius grinned impishly, "What are you doing out?"

"You know how I had detention?"

"Don't tell me, you skipped to go to the kitchen?" he said, alarmed at the amount of food he was holding.

"Not at all. McGonagall let me go."

"She _let_ you go?"

"She _let_ me go."

"Amazing."

"Yep, so I went to the kitchen, grabbed some food, scored a Remembrall, and decided to drop off my loot."

"Huh," Remus scratched his neck.

"Moony, you all right?" he nodded, "Bad dream?" another nod.

"I've been having them a lot lately. It's been about James." Remus explained his dream while Sirius nodded, popping a Beartie Bott's Every Flavoured Bean into his mouth. "I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something."

"That James was kidnapped by evil laughing dementors, your parents were swallowed by shadows, and that I was killed by the Black Lake? Eh, it makes sense."

"Shut up, Padfoot, I'm serious."

"So am I," he snickered. Remus frowned. "Look, Moony, your dreams are unethical and unlikely. James was kidnapped, but by dementors? That would mean destroying any hope of ours that he's alive and, well, Prongs _is_ alive. So am I. So are your parents. Don't worry."

"I can't help it. My gut tells me that there's more to this dream…"

"And when have you ever listened to your gut?"

"Well…  
"You're the thinker in this group, Moony, you use that huge head of yours for smarts and stuff."

He sighed. "I just don't get it."

Sirius got up and patted his friend's shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry. Go to sleep and when you wake up, you'll have forgotten the whole thing."

"Wow, Padfoot, really helpful." he said sarcastically.

"My pleasure. Now, I must be off."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"Out." Sirius wrapped James' invisibility cloak around his shoulders. Instantly, his tall body became transparent and he smiled widely.

"Out?"

"Yeah, I'm going to meet somebody."

"Girl?"

"Mhmm," he headed for the door.

"Who is she?"

"Someone you know very well." The cloak went over his head.

"Sirius!" he hissed. A small, ghostly chuckle was heard in response before the door opened and shut, leaving Remus alone.

*M*A*G*I*C*

Sirius snuck out of the Common Room, thanking the Fat Lady on the way out. He raced past students, silently laughing because they were unaware of him. He adored that feeling of freedom.

The halls were almost empty, filled with the occasional couple. Sirius slipped past them all, stopping only to decide direction. His final destination was the place he knew Tiffany would be.

The library.

He took the cloak off and went into the large room. The smell of old books came and practically knocked him off his feet.

"Sirius Black? Back again, I see?"

"Yep. Odd, isn't it?"

The librarian smiled. "Well, Mr Lupin isn't here, if that's why you've come to visit. Unless-?" she rose an eyebrow but Sirius waved her off.

"No, ma'am, I'm here for Tiffany."

"Tiffany? What for?"

"Just some questions, no big deal."

"I see. Well, she's in the potions section."

"Potions? What for?"

"I don't know. Her and Remus always put their books back so I never see what they're working on. But, between you and me, it looked really important."

Sirius nodded, deep in thought. Important? He thanked her.

"But Mr Black? We're locking up the library soon. Don't stay here too long."

"Thanks, I won't." he left and went around the library. He rarely came to the library voluntarily. It reminded him to much of the ancient, dusty smell of his old home. If he ever needed to come here, it wasn't for books. He needed to talk to Tiffany about Remus. Sirius knew Remus liked her. A lot. And Sirius wasn't about to let her lead him on. His werewolfish friend had been through enough hardship.

Sirius wove through the tall bookshelves, scanning for the Ravenclaw girl. He stopped at a flash of blue was found on his right. He turned and saw that t belonged to a girl with a ponytail and dark black bangs. The same girl who'd given Remus her cloak.

Tiffany.

He slipped on the invisibility cloak and crept forward. Tiffany seemed preoccupied; a quill, parchment paper, and various books lay spread out on the table. She had chosen a good place. The potion section was rarely used. The only exception was Severus Snape.

He stopped suddenly when he heard footsteps. They were quick, tapping against the hard floors. Sirius could tell it was a girl because the tapping was light. It wasn't at all heavy.

A girl skidded to a stop and walked down the same way Sirius had. Sirius pressed himself to one side, letting Lily Evans walk right by him.

What was she doing walking towards Tiffany? Why were they talking. Or, a better question, what were they talking bout?

Sirius got closer and slipped to the other side of the bookshelf. He could still hear the girls talking.

"_It's, uh, about my problem…"_

"_You should know that you shouldn't feel any pressure. You don't have to talk to me."_

"_Oh, I've actually wanted to talk to you for a while. I remembered the way you took charge and added ideas about last year's Christmas Ball. Your way of thinking was so unique that, I don't know, it made you come off as really smart."_

Christmas Ball? Sirius realized that he had seen Tiffany before, at the ball. She'd been the one in the short black slip.

"_Cool, thank you." Tiffany folded her hands, "So, what exa__ctly do you want to talk about? About your problem I presume? Is it academic or personal?"_

"_It's personal, but it's affecting my academics." _

"_Elaborate for me, Lily."_

"_I can't. I was actually hoping that you would know what was wrong with me."_

Typical Lily. Trying to weedle information out of others without trying. He expected more effort on her part.

_Tiffany sighed and brushed her bangs out of the way, only to have them fall back into place. "So you're sure that you're not missing James?"_

"_Absolutely."_

"_All the same, Lily, denial is a pretty serious stage that –'_

"_I'm not in denial."_

"_Then you don't miss him?"_

"_No!"_

"_But you're not concerned for his well being. Is that right?"_

"_Yes, I mean, no! I'm not heartless, I care."_

"_About him?"_

"_Well, I mean I care if he lives or dies," she said, back tracking, "I just don't really care that he's not here, you know?" Tiffany raised an eyebrow, "And by that I meant, uh, that I don't mind if he's at school, but I don't need him here."_

"_So, then you don't mind that he's at school, since you don't need him."_

"_That's right," she sighed in relief._

"_Ok, that makes sense. Although, you always said you hated him."_

"_I do."_

"_But you said you don't mind him."_

"_I –"_

"_What did you fight about last time?" _

"_Fight?"_

Tiffany was very good at this game. She played it cooly while, at the same time, digging deeper for information with every sentence. It was an interesting way to play. And it was very affective. _I wonder if…_

"Sirius!"

Sirius flinched at the loud sound and a hand came over his shoulder. "Who the hell?"

"It's me, Sirius."

"Remus," Sirius peeked out from under the cloak but couldn't see his friend. "Bloody, hell, Moony, you scared me."

"It's your fault. You shouldn't be so focussed on their conversation. Eavesdropping is bad."

"So? We get our best information through eavesdropping. You don't have a problem then."

"When we do it then, it's not a problem."

"Hypocrite." Snickered Sirius before sobering suddenly, "How are we able to talk so loudly without them hearing us?"

"Silencing charm."

"Ah, I see. Brilliant."

"Come on. I don't even know what you're doing."

"Waiting to talk to Tiffany."

"Why?"

"Cause I felt like it. But she's talking to Lily right now."

"Of course. But that doesn't explain why you're listening to them."

"Look, they weren't smart enough to put up their own charm, so it's only right that I use this to my advantage." Remus shook his head, annoyed, "Come on, Moony, join in."

"Sorry, can't. It's not right."

"Are you sure? It's about James."

Remus perked up a bit. "Well in that case." Sirius made room for his friend under the cloak and words were heard again.

"_Sure, so what did you fight about?"_

"Is it that hard to guess?" commented Sirius.

"_Him being an arrogant toerag."_

"_I've heard that too many times."_

"Well played, Tiffany." He said under his breath.

"_What?"_

"_I mean, what did you actually fight about?"_

"_He was annoying me and I told him off."_

"_Told him off how?"_

"Don't you find it weird that Tiffany is forcing Lily to go through all this detail just to figure out her problem?"

"Not really."

"I mean," he continued, "We all know that her problem is that James is gone and she missed him."

"Yes, Padfoot, and while that may be true, she doesn't know it. She's too deep in denial." smiled Remus, "Tiffany is trying to allow Lily many chances to realize this.

"_But you're feeling guilty."_

"_I never said that either. It's just that the last thing I told him was-"_

"_-Was to get lost. I understand it now. You're guilty because you told him to leave and he did. _

"_No, it's not like that. It wasn't my fault. He just-"_

"_Left. You think he's to blame for leaving?"_

_Lily nodded vigorously, "Of course. Why else would he leave?" Lily appeared very desperate to hear that it wasn't her fault. _

"_You're guilty because it looked like James left because you told him to."_

"_No, I-"_

"_So he ran away without any reasoning besides that he wanted to?" _

"_Well, maybe but-"_

"_Because James was sorted into Gryffindor."_

"_I know but-"_

"_And if he did run away, are you suggesting that he is a coward?"_

"_No, but-"_

"_Because that would imply that he'd been sorted in the wrong house."_

"_He wasn't."_

"_Then why would he run?"_

"_He didn't."_

"_Then what's the real problem?"_

"Brilliant," laughed Sirius, "Tiffany makes her look like a messed up emotional wreck."

Remus grimaced but continued to listen.

_Lily buried her head in her hands. "I want to make sense of what is happening."_

"_And what is happening?" Lily looked up at Tiffany, practically begging her_ _understand. "Here let me guess," she said gently, "You, who has been bothered by a persistent annoyance, find that the annoyance gone. Despite your initial relief, you are curious for this stop. Your pride and fear of the truth forces you to try and staunch that curiosity. But it never disappears._

"_In all truth, you miss him. You're worried and you blame yourself even though it's not necessarily your fault."_

"You know, Moony, it's really interesting that she picked this way to convey her feelings to her. She's a smart one."

"I know."

_Lily blinked twice. "You know, people have been trying to tell me I miss him all week, but I don't."_

"Lier." They said together.

"She's totally in denial," murmured Sirius.

"_I see." Tiffany smiled.__._

"_You've never been in this position, though, have you?"_

"_Where the guy I like goes missing?"_

"_Tiffany…" growled Lily._

"_If I tell you the truth, will you admit that you miss James?"_

"_NEVER!" Tiffany sighed. "But I am willing to consider the fact that his disappearance has affected the school."_

"That's rubbish," hissed Sirius, "That there is some of the worst bargaining I've ever seen, Moony."

_Tiffany smirked. "Please, Tiffany, tell me. I want to know." Lily pleaded with her eyes and Tiffany__ stifled a laugh. "I guess it only makes sense to tell you a secret of my own because you have shared a secret with me."_

"_What secret is that?"_

"_That James' disappearance has affected you as well."_

_Lily flushed, "Think what you want." _

"_Look, it's true that the guy I like went missing a few times back."_

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance. Perhaps Sirius wouldn't need to push her about her feelings. Perhaps her girl talk with Lily would sort it out for him.

"_Seriously?"_

"_Yeah. I always got really worried about him. I didn't talk to him much because he was so popular but I missed seeing him every day."_

"_Wait, does he go to Hogwarts?"_

"_No, he's from Durmstrang."_

"Durmstrang?" asked Sirius, turning to his friend, "I didn't know you went to Durmstrang."

"Shhh."

"_Seriously?" Tiffany gave her a look, "Right, he goes to school here.__" _

"I thought so," put in Sirius.

"_So does he know?"_

"_Know?"_

"_Know your feelings?"_

"_Of course not. We've been talking to each other more and more lately. It's like a dream… but he doesn't know."_

"_Wait, you're talking to him more and more, right?" _

"_Yeah."_

"_You don't mean…?" Tiffany nodded, "Wow, good job. You guys are so cute together."_

_Tiffany blushed, her bangs coming down to cover her eyes._

"I hate it when she does that," murmured Remus, "I can't see her eyes."

"Whoa, Moony, you don't actually like her, do you?" pause, "You do, oh that's fantastic. No sarcasm intended Moony, congratulations. As Lily said, you_ do_ make a cute couple."

"Padfoot, please, I can't hear them."

"_Mistake? No way. I'm sure he's really happy you're getting involved with him."_

Mistake? What had been a mistake? Sirius frowned and glanced at his friend. Remus was soaking up the conversation. Even though he pretended that he wasn't into it, deep down, he was as curious as Sirius.

"_Maybe. But I don't think that's the case. He's been really stressed out lately."_

"_Which shows you how much he likes you. If he's so stressed, why does he spend time with you?"_

_Tiffany fidgeted. "Because he's too nice?" _

"Ain't that the truth?" laughed Sirius.

"Padfoot!"

"What? It's true! You're way too nice to do anything like that. You wouldn't ditch anyone."

"You know, it doesn't help by telling me that you think I'm that cruel."

"But I just called you kind!"

"Forget it. I can't hear them."

"_Even if he was doing it just to be nice, it's __really nice to sit and talk with him."_

"_Sounds like you're in love."_

_Tiffany blinked twice._

"_I'm sorry, what?"_

"_In love."_

"_Look, I like him but I wouldn't go that far." She looked around nervously._

Sirius froze. Tiffany had just looked in her direction. Did she know…?

"_Really? Because it sounds that way."_

"_And you would be a genius on this topic because?"_

"_Shut up, I'm just… never mind."_

"_Let me help you then, because I don't think even you know what love is. To me, love means that he's special to you. He's gorgeous, smart, exciting to be with and you can't imagine life without him. That no matter what anyone says, you would trust him with your life."_

"_And do you trust him with your life?" Tiffany bit her lip and Lily hugged her. "Awww, you do love him, don't you?"_

"_Whatever," she pulled away gently and smiled, "My love life is not what you came here to discuss. You wanted a distraction, you've got one, but you really need to focus on how you feel about James."_

"_But –"_

"_No buts. You fancy him. He fancies you. You can't take those things for granted."_

_Lily blushed. "He doesn't 'fancy' me but, all the same, you shouldn't feel discouraged. Just because he hasn't said that he fancies you doesn't mean that he doesn't."_

_Tiffany sighed. "Well, I tried." She muttered to herself._

"_Huh?"_

"_Nothing, nothing. I have somewhere to go."_

"_Sleep?"_

"_Absolutely. Good night, Lily." Tiffany said, packing her things into her rucksack._

"_Night, Tiffany, and good luck with that guy."_

_Tiffany smiled. "Luck has nothing to do with it."_

* * *

**Done now. I'm posting two other short chapters after this one. So sorry for the delay.**

**R&R as you see fit**


	18. Chapter 18: PreSleep Talk

**Here's the next chapter. It's short but bear with me.**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine and it never will be.**

* * *

Sirius flopped onto his bed and let out an exhausted sigh. "Well, that was a waste."

Remus nodded slowly, sitting down on his own bed. Peter was already unconscious, snoring softly. "I guess she was really busy."

"Sure, but so late at night? And that time… it was like she knew we were there."

"Is that even possible?" the glanced warily at the cloak. It lay, semitransparent, on James' bed.

"It's not, right? I mean, it's James' invisibility cloak. It's not rigged or anything, right?"

"It can't be. We have to have faith in it. It's all we have left."

Sirius changed into his pyjamas, frowning as he worked on the buttons. "Why do we have to wait for Saturday again?"

"I told you, it'll raise less suspicion that way."

"But why that day? Why not tonight? Or tomorrow night?"

"Because Gryffindor is hosting a party."

"What?"

"I was talking to Peter earlier about it and we figured that throwing a party would be the best way to show that James' disappearance hasn't rattled us."

"Isn't it a little late for that? The very first day, we were depressed as hell. It was your werewolf stuff all over again." Sirius went into the washroom and started brushing his teeth while Remus started changing.

"Hopefully, this party will change that. It's in honour of that Weasly kid. Arthur, remember? It turns out he was given a job at the Ministry of Magic and we decided that it was a good enough reason to celebrate. Besides, we were hoping to get everyone so tired that leaving will be a breeze."

Remus heard a rush of water and Sirius walked out of the washroom, drying his face. "Fine, but I'll be in the kitchen. I'm not in the mood to go."

"But Sirius, it'll be fun! It'll lift your spirits. Besides, you can still go to sleep early. We need to rest up anyway because we'll be in leaving the party."

"So then Arthur'll come back?"

"Yeah. Even Dumbledore said it was ok."

"You asked Dumbledore?"

"Technically, I asked Arthur who asked Dumbledore who said it's ok." Remus grinned, "So that's that."

"Huh." Sirius sat on his bed, throwing his towel on the head rest. Remus went on the washroom to clean himself up. "Hey, Moony?"

"Hmm?" he paused.

"What do you think of Tiffany?"

"Hm?"

"Tiffany." Sirius repeated. Remus washed his mouth out and wiped his own face with a towel.

"Tiffany?"

"Yes, Moony, Tiffany. You going deaf or something?"

"I can hear just fine, thank you." He sniffed, sitting on his bed and slipping under the covers.

"So Tiffany…"

"What about her?"

Sirius sighed heavily and crawled under his own blankets. "Do you fancy her?"

"Sure, why not?"

"No, Moony, I mean do actually fancy her? As more than a friend?"

Remus rolled his eyes, "Sirius, is this really the time?"

"Does it really matter if you fancy her or not?"

"Yes, because I need to focus on finding James right now."

"Is that all you think about? Work, work, work. I can't go to the party because I need to focus on James. I can't look at girls because I need to focus on work. Moony, I'm not sure it your genius even realizes this, but avoiding our future other halves won't help."

"Future other halves?"

"Yeah, girlfriends or wives."

"That's your excuse for dating girls?"

"You never know. Besides, I have a feeling I'm going to die young."

Remus frowned. "That doesn't sound good."

"Well, it's not. I mean, all things considered, they do say to live each day like it's your last. That's what I'm doing and you should too. You like her, so just talk to her. You know, ask her out."

"Know what?"

Sirius sighed in defeat. "You won't?"

"I'll think about it. _If _we get back."

"If… I mean, with that kind of motivation, we'll be home in 3 days. Tops."

Remus rolled his eyes and blew out the lantern. "Good night, Padfoot."

Sirius yawned and snuggled (very dog-like) into his blanket.

"Night, Moony."

* * *

**awww, i love Sirius. He's the best. Just sayin'**

**one more short chapter, guys, until my next update**

**i'll try to make it real soon**

**bye**

**R&R**


	19. Chapter 19: Surviving

**I kinda feel bad for James cause i don't pay too much attention to him. It's mainly because the story is more about getting him back and not how he's surviving. Still, James is pretty cool. He's Harry's freakin' father.**

**I'm sorry for neglecting you, James. Gomen.**

**That's right! I'm so psycho that i talk to fictional character...**

**god... fanfiction is serious my only outlet. that and my friends. i pity them...**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me. I mean, let's face it, it's way to awesome.**

* * *

"It won't be long now, James, another few days or so and you'll be out."

James took a bite out of his meal. It was somewhat cold but he'd survive. "I'm looking foreword to that. I have classes to catch up with."

"I didn't think that you cared about that kind of stuff."

"I don't, but I'm planning to be an Auror so I have to attend and ace my classes."

"Big dreams, don't you think?"

"If you don't dream big, you won't get anywhere." The Death Eater shrugged and brushed her hair back.

"School's not as important as you think."

James laughed. "Coming from the girl who's a genius."

She laughed this time. "I wouldn't go that far. My smarts are in a completely different area."

"?"

"Well, I have a habit of having an unlucky streak and to be frank, my life has been threatened multiple times."

"Like the fact that you're working for Lord Voldemort?"

"Something like that." she grinned, "My life isn't the easiest but it's the only thing I know."

"That must suck, to know you're in constant danger."

"These are dark times, James, everyone's in constant danger, some more than others. Unfortunately, I'm the later."

James gave her a sympathetic smile, "You'll be fine."

"Thanks. Survival is what I live for."

* * *

**Real short. I wish it'd be longer but this has been my format for a long time. Weird how I'm at 19 chapters.**

**btw guys, i'm officially back on my notebook. which means all i need to do is copy it our and submit it. Look foreward to it. [:**

**R&R**


	20. Chapter 20: Giving and Remembering

**back! I updated, even though I suck. Yes, i've got lots of chapters and it's weird but i'm not gonna change now! **

**btw, smartoneisodd, i need to talk to u. marie said something about a book list? whatevs.**

**enjoy to your hearts content!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, just this story idea.**

* * *

"I still can't believe we're doing this."

"Why not? You're the one always begging to have a party."

"I guess, but it doesn't feel right." he said, hands deep in his pockets. They were walking through the corridor, towards their common room.

Remus sighed. "Nothing does these days. But you have nothing to worry about."

"That doesn't help me not worry about it, though," said Sirius stubbornly, "not worrying doesn't get my best mate back does it?"

They were quiet. "Sorry," mumbled Sirius.

"No, I know how you feel, Padfoot, it's ok. I just, I don't know what you want me to say."

"I wanted you to say yes Sunday night. I wanted to be able to go back for my friend earlier instead of tomorrow, a week after.

"What if we don't find him, Moony?"

"Huh?"

"What if we don't find him? Who knows how long it'll take. We don't even know where to start."

"That's why I'm here."

Startled, both boys turned around to be greeted by a shorter black haired girl.

"Tiffany." Remus sounded happy to see her.

"Tiffany… I remember you. You were in the library."

She flushed lightly with embarrassment. "Yep, that would be me."

"Why the sudden intrusion?"

"I heard you guys talking and it reminded me that I need to give Remus something." She rummaged through her rucksack and pulled out a roll of parchment paper. She handed it to him. "I've given you the top 3 places he could be. It's not much, but I've added some simple spells that you could use to find him."

"Thanks, Tiffany." Remus grinned widely.

"Yeah, thanks. Why did you do this?"

Tiffany turned to Sirius with a smirk, "You're the one who said that you didn't know where to start. I'm giving you one."

Sirius muttered under his breath, annoyed, while Tiffany just smoothed her robes. "Well, I have to go."

"Go?"

"I have to meet someone in the library. I don't want to be late."

"Oh, okay."

"Who is he?" asked Sirius, who, shortly after making this comment, was punched in the arm.

"None of your business, Black." said Tiffany, "Later."

She ran off and both boys watched her go down the hall.

"Padfoot?"

"Yes?"

"You really think it's a guy?"

"Of course, there's no doubt in my mind. You may be the smartest in our group. Moony, but girls are one of my fortes."

"And the other?"

"Rebellious behaviour." He said grinning widely. Remus rolled his eyes and continued to walk to their Common Room.

"But a guy?"

"Totally. It's all in her facial expressions." Remus gave him a look, "I know. I _am _pretty skillful. But not to worry. My secrets shall be revealed in due time."

Remus laughed a bit. "She might not be meeting a guy, though. It could be another friend."

"Another friend or not, she's nervous about it, but not too nervous because she knows how to handle it."

"Are you suggesting that she is being confessed to?"

"I'm not suggesting, I'm implying. I think she's supposed to meet a guy to answer the confession."

"You're mental."

"So are you if you think she'll say yes. She fancies you, Moony."

"That's not even-"

"You heard her yesterday. There's a 99% chance that it's you."

"And the 1%?"

"That's it me, of course. Don't get me wrong, it's probably you, but let's face it. I'm also gorgeous, smart and exciting to be with." Remus laughed. "_And_ I have a sense of humour. A perfect package."

"I'm not sure most girls want you as the perfect package."

"Most girls would disagree with that statement." Remus sighed, exasperated, "Relax Moony."

"Hypocrite. And to think, moments ago, I was telling you off."

*M*A*G*I*C*

"Where are you going?" asked Sirius. Remus had some parchment and a quill in his bag. The Common Room was decked out in the traditional Gryffindor colours; red banners and yellow streamers. The words 'Congratulations Arthur!' were written in glittery red ink on a giant yellow banner. The fire crackled appealingly, inviting people to stand near it as the winter season was there to stay. There weren't many people in the Common Room but it was slowly filling up.

"Library."

"You've been going there a lot."

"Yes, I suppose I have." He said, making his way to the door.

"You seeing someone?"

Remus tripped over his feet, "What? Why would you say that?"

"You're going and meeting someone in the library?" guessed Sirius, smirking, "Why else would you be going there?"

"To double check places where James could be?"

"Lier."

"What?"

"We already know where he could be. Tammy gave you that parchment earlier."

"Her name is Tiffany and I know that. I was going to see…"

"To see?"

"To see if she's coming."

"Oh, so you want to take her to the party. I see how it is."

"No you don't."

"Oh really? And I supposed to believe that you're going to the library to read?"

"Uh, yes?"

"But why? I mean, you're the one that organized the party in the first place. Why are you leaving?"

"I'm coming back."

Sirius raised his eyebrow, a skill Remus had not been able to master. "Really? When you find whoever, or whatever, you're looking for, I doubt you'll return."

"Good night, Padfoot."

He rolled his eyes and waved his hands. "Leave. Go on, off you go."

Remus mock saluted and left, hands in his pockets. It felt strange to walk around the castle in Muggle clothes. He should have been used to it. Roughly 7 years had passed and this was nothing. He tugged on the collar of his sweater. It suddenly felt very uncomfortable on him as he entered the library.

It was quiet, the books let off no sound and the room was basically empty. There were a few groups of people. A couple of Ravenclaws giggling in the corner reading Witch Weekly, a boy and a girl, presumably two Hufflepuffs, were reading something in the window seat, their arms pressed together. He scanned through the different section, passing each one without paying much attention. Finally, he stopped at his favourite section. Magical literature. It was a book filled with short stories about people that fought dark wizards, about the witch hunts and various other historical happenings. He pulled out a thick chapter book and sat down in a chair, opening it up. It was a worn book, something that Remus had always loved about it. He flipped through the pages of the book slowly, taking in each word with the same interest that he had when he was a child. He remembered all the days when he would sit, alone in his room, after the attack.

Books had been his only comfort during the half of the year that he had spent bedridden. It was then that he realized how truly alone he was. His parents, despite their best attempts to cheer him up and be supportive, were afraid of them. It was in their speech, the way the shifted in and out of his room, the way he felt their eyes on him at night, worrying, wondering…

He would never be the same. His body had changed. He had changed. Remus became the withdrawn, secretive person most people knew. The only things that didn't change were his books. He could always rely on the paperbacks that lay, worn, in his bookshelves. The characters, the storyline, the ending, it would never change. They would begin the same, and end the same, constant. Reminding him of something he could never gain, something far beyond his grasp.

There would be no happy ending.

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**R&R s'il vous plait**


	21. Chapter 21: Trust James

**now when i say I've been gone for a while, I mean it. i've been gone for a while. god, it's taken quite a while to get this up and running. i know that this is a popular excuse but it's totally true. I was busy. i'm sorry. i'm not a high school student with alot of time on my hands. i've got things to do, you know! between birthdays and homework i'm booked up! still, i feel really bad for not posting these chapters. I suck, I know. **

**if you're still reading this story, thank you so much, it means alot. i know my time management skills are crap but if you've stuck with me this long, thank you. thank you so much. **

**onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: the original idea for Harry Potter is not mine and I have no intention of claiming it as such. **

* * *

"Remus?" Remus looked up from the book, curious at who was calling him.

"Oh!" it was Tiffany. She was in a blue t-shirt, a black jacket around her figure, and jeans. In her hand was a small book that looked like it could fit into her pocket. "Hi, Tiffany."

"Hi," she blinked twice as if she was still unsure that he was there, "Um, I thought you'd be at Arthur's party. I mean, it is being held in your Common Room."

"I thought you'd be there as well," he lied, "students from other houses can come in tonight."

Tiffany shrugged and flipped her bangs back, "I'm not really into the partying." She admitted, smiling a little.

"Neither am I."

"That's hard to believe," she said laughing. When Remus questioned her with a look, she explained, "You hang out with Sirius Black and James Potter. They love the whole 'social gathering' thing."

"Just because they do doesn't mean I have to."

"True." She rocked back on her heels like she was nervous, "So you're just gonna sit here and read?"

"Kind of, yeah. Care to join me?"

"Sure." She sat down in a nearby chair and stretched a little bit. Then she cast a glance at the bookshelves. They were tall and filled but she only gave it a moment's notice before reaching forward and pulling one off the shelf. Tiffany opened it, her eyes scanning the words quickly, taking it in with interest. Remus had to stop reading at this because he had rarely seen her this focussed. Whether it was class notes or their research, they'd always end up comfortable and relaxed. But this was different. Watching Tiffany read this book, he was aware that she was tense, her frame stiff as if she were on edge, expecting something to happen.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, lightly tapping her shoulder.

She flinched and looked at him, "Uh, yeah, I'm fine." she mumbled, eyes downcast. "It's no big deal."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal. Forget it." She buried her face into the book again. Remus smirked as she risked a glance over the rim, noticed he was staring, blushed, and looked down. He let out a laugh.

"Are you that bothered by it?"

"It's not that I'm bothered by it. It's just… something happened to me a little earlier. I'm a little worried about it but I can deal with it later."

"I see…" Remus thought for a bit. She looked really bothered by whatever had happened and he wanted very much to remove it from her mind. What she needed was a distraction… but how…"Are you seeing someone?"

"W-w-what?" she spluttered, eyes widening in shock. Her cheeks began to darken until they were a dark red.

"I said are you seeing someone?"

"Erm…no?"

"Are you interested in anyone?" this was a question Remus had wanted to ask since the previous night. Tiffany was interested in someone, he knew that for a fact. She had told Lily about it. If Tiffany lied, it meant that she didn't trust him or she was too shy to admit it. If she said yes, it would only make him more curious and he wouldn't be able to let it go. To an extent, he wanted her to say no, but that'd mean she didn't trust him and he really wanted her trust. But if she said yes, it would under his skin all night and the feeling would haunt him until he found out.

And did he really want to find out?

"Like, right now?"

"Sure."

Tiffany looked down awkwardly and he suddenly felt very embarrassed. He shouldn't be asking those questions. He shouldn't even _care_ about the answers to his questions, and yet the curiosity was far too strong. He may have been the most polite of the Marauders but suddenly that didn't seem to matter. "Yeah, I do."

Remus froze. "Pardon?"

"I said yeah, I do." She raised an eyebrow, "You going deaf or something?" just like that, her confidence was restored. Remus wasn't sure which side of Tiffany he liked better. The quiet one he'd researched with or the bold, confident one that spilled through every so often. Like back in detention, or now, in the library.

"Naw, maybe I'm just tired." Tiffany shrugged and went back to her book. Remus stared at her a little longer before returning to the paperback in his own hands but the effect didn't last long. His eyes kept shifting towards Tiffany, wondering who she was interested in. She had no real need to tell him. After all, they weren't exactly the closest. Still, Remus would have really liked to have just asked her, to be blunt and confident. To just say, 'who do you like?' _Who do you like?_

"Pardon me?"

"Huh?" He'd just said it out loud. He flushed in embarrassment but it was nothing compared to the red that was coating Tiffany's face. "I didn't say-" he thought for a moment, "You fancy someone, right?"

"Yes. What's your point?"

"Eh, who is it? The bloke that you fancy, I mean." Tiffany looked down and looked like she was thinking very hard on something. "I mean, you can tell me if you want to. But if you're not…comfortable with it then it's fine."

Tiffany looked up tentatively and Remus saw his answer blatant in her eyes. Not yet. Not yet. "How about later then?"

"Yeah, later." She said, breathing out all at once. "Thanks." She smiled, small, but it looked like she was relieved. Remus smiled as well. It was fine as long as she was more comfortable. Tiffany returned to the book in her hands and Remus watched her read. She was more into it this time, he noticed. Her dark eyes would flit across the page, reading each sentence and soaking in the words. She didn't look up again.

Remus wondered how long she would last. He kind of hoped that she would glance up, acknowledge he was there, maybe talk to him, but it seemed that she'd rather read.

Tiffany had always struck him as different. He sometimes wondered what she was thinking, especially now, in the silence of the library, he had to guess what was going through her mind. She was already hard to read, it didn't help that her actions gave nothing away, that her expressions were hidden and unknowable. She was good at controlling her emotions, he could see that. But he could also see how tense she actually was. The tightness in her shoulders that had been more prominent at the beginning had faded until it was only slightly noticeable to him. He wondered what was bothering her now. It was small, but he could still sense it. It was his werewolf instincts that could sense the discord in her emotions. Was it his question? Was she still concerned about answering him? It didn't really matter who the bloke was. At least, not to him.

But perhaps that was a lie. Every time he thought about the possibility that he was the one she fancied, his heart swelled and his face felt hot. The thought that it was someone else? He wasn't sure what he would do. It wasn't like he could change her mind. And he wouldn't stop her from liking whoever she preferred over himself. She deserved him if she wanted him. He was sure that whoever it was, he would be kind and caring and good enough for her.

He sighed and turned to his own book. He was about to turn the page when Tiffany suddenly shut her book. "What's wrong?"

"I need to go to bed." She stated, her eyes smiling, "Too bad I can't read the book later."

"Why not?"

"I'm busy. I've got things to do, people to see, things to buy. After all, tomorrow is our Hogsmede trip. "

"Yeah, it is." Remus closes his own book and slipped it into the shelf. "Can I walk you?"

"?"

"To your Common Room."

"Oh, um, sure." She flicked her bangs to the side, falling back in to place seconds later. They left the library silently, waving good bye to their librarian and not looking back. They walked down the lengthy hall, turning when they needed to, and climbing the staircase in a comfortable silence. Remus wondered how the party at Gryffindor tower was. He hoped that Sirius wasn't being too much of a downer. His friend could be incredibly serious when he wanted to be. It would ruin the party and then... well, things wouldn't go the way they planned.

He absently wondered how James was doing. Everything Tiffany had documented was true. If James was kidnapped like they thought, then he was being held for a legitimate reason. He wasn't anywhere in the castle, Professor Dumbledore had been sure of that. He'd had the teachers search their houses to see if James was anywhere. It wasn't exactly like James could leave if he wanted too. He had no real means of transportation and his plans to woe Lily had been incomplete. Remus hoped that James was on the grounds somewhere. They had been the only area he hadn't checked.

Then it dawned on him. James' parents. Did they know? They had to. James wrote to them once a week and they'd always written back. And Dumbledore, their Headmaster must have sent them some kind of letter to tell them that their eldest and only son had gone missing. There wasn't much else that could have been done. But had Sirius been right? Had he really waited too soon? Had everything he had planned been wrong? What if James really couldn't be found? What if James was somewhere of in a distant city and they had no chance of finding him? Who would have the motive to kidnap him anyway?

Remus glanced at Tiffany who walked obliviously through the castle, casting the occasional glance at the portraits, most of which were somewhat drowsy and falling asleep. He wondered what he would do if it were her, and not James, that had gone missing. Would he have waited, trusting her ability to survive? Or would he have just left to search for her?

Now that he knew her, he couldn't quite imagine life without her. It was impossible. He figured that Lily, in all her attempts to deny her feelings, must have been starting to comprehend her love for James. Who else would worry to the extent of missing sleep and failing classes? Who else would have braved a sea of rumours to ask about James on the first day of his disappearance? Lily would be realizing her feelings quite soon and when she did... he wasn't sure how she was going to react.

"Remus?"

"Huh?" Remus looked over curiously at Tiffany. "What is it?"  
"Can I ask you something?" Remus' walking slowed but he otherwise continued.

"Sure. Anything."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yeah." He said.

"Okay, hold on to that."

He looked at her oddly, hoping for an explanation but she just stared straight ahead, ignoring him. "What do you mean?" he voiced the question in his head.

"It's nothing," she said, glancing over, "Just –"

"Just what?"

"Here's my stop."

Remus looked in front of them. Without realizing it, the pair had arrived at the Ravenclaw Common Room. You couldn't really tell though. It didn't have a giant portrait like the Gryffindor Common Room. Instead, it had a large door, a door that looked extremely plain. It was thick and wooden, with no handle or keyhole. Just a bronze, eagle shaped knocker.

Tiffany smiled and reached up to knock, the sound echoing through the halls of Hogwarts. Then, strangely, the eagle opened its mouth and spoke: "What is more useful when it is broken?"

Remus blinked twice and turned to Tiffany hoping for another explanation but she just tapped her cheek twice and smiled as if she'd had a 'Eureka!' moment. "Broken usefulness," she said confidently.

"Well said." said the knocker, before the huge doors swung apart revealing a brilliant, silvery-blue coloured room.

"It's amazing," said Remus, completely in awe of the room. He'd never seen other Houses' Common Rooms. Ever. "Astounding."

"I know. It almost always feels like night time here." She said affectionately. Remus stiffened slightly. _Night..._ "Oh, I'm so sorry." she said, hands up defensively, "I didn't mean it like that. It must a sensitive subject." She added, somewhat to herself.

"What do you-"

"Good night, Remus." She said, making for the door.

"Good night, Tiffany." He murmured, the doors closing behind her. For a moment, he just stared at the door, wondering if that had been the right send-off. After all, he might not have the ability to see her before he and his friends left the school in search for James. After a few moments, Remus sighed and walked away, hands in his pockets but then he heard a sudden creak behind him and swivelled to see Tiffany running after him.

"Remus!" she huffed.

"Tiffany? What are you-"

She caught up to him and threw her arms around him. Remus just stood still, dumbstruck. He wasn't totally sure what was going on until she pulled back, her eyes concerned. "Please be careful and-and" Tiffany reached up and pressed her lips to his cheek. Remus gasped, surprised at her action. "When in doubt, just trust James." She moved back, her face flushed and she raced back to her Common Room, not looking back.

Once more Remus stood in the hall, frozen in shock this time. His hand moved to touch his cheek and he realized that his face was beginning to burn, the memory fresh in his mind. She'd just…

He scratched his head, his mind a jumble of words and pictures, walking back to his Common Room and if you'd ask anyone who saw him walking back, they would have told you he was the colour of roses.

* * *

**end of this chapter. y'know? I think i have many chapters but they're way too short. I have the urge to lengthen them.**

**oh well :3**

**if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please review.**

**thank you and have a wonderful day [:**


	22. Chapter 22: My Choice

**so another chapter for today for you guys **

**xoxo**

**Disclaimer: T_T look at the other chapters **

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"I'm back." said the Death Eater, undoing James' binding with a flourish of her wand.

"Thanks." he said, stretching and standing up. "It's so hard to just sit here, you know? I get hit for talking. I get hit for not talking." James grimaced, "There's just no pleasing them."

"There never is, Potter, there never is." She leaned against the wall and looked out a thin crack. It was the only spot light came in. the rest of the room was a dark, save the wands that were brightly lit. "But there isn't much we can do about that."

James smiled bitterly drinking some of the firewhiskey they'd laid out for him. "That's nice." He said, eying the glass, "You pick this out?"  
"Yeah. Seeing as you're getting out in a day or so." She pushed herself off the wall so she was standing upright. "They'll be coming for you tomorrow." She added, "You should be able to get out without too much trouble."

Tiffany conjured 2 glasses and poured the contents of the bottle into them. James watched her silently before saying, "Wait, what about you?"

"What about me?" she had stopped pouring.

"Can't you come too?"

She shook her head, "I wish that I could leave with you." she said, her voice wistful. She filled the glasses and placed the bottle at James' feet.

"Why can't you?"

"If Lord Voldemort catches me, and he probably will, I'll have to make sure you guys escape.

"When your friends come, I'll have warned Voldemort of their plans and he will assign you more guards. I'll intentionally miss and, let's face it, your friends are resourceful. They will find you," she smiled a small smile, "and you will be safe.

"Once you're gone, Voldemort will find me and I'm counting on a miracle to get me out."

James was quiet for a moment then he said, "That's a pretty big risk you're taking."

"Dumbledore gave me a choice. This is my choice."

"Good luck." He said, raising his glass.

"We'll need it." She clinked them together.

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**finished another chapter! until next time [:**

**plz R&R**


	23. Chapter 23: Searching

**Well I've returned! With exams coming up, I owe you a chapter, and then I'll give you another after exams end...**

**I pray for the best.**

**I know that this story doesn't get many readers but for those of you that read it so far thank you. If you're keeping up with this this long, thank you. I want to also thank each of my reviewers as the chapters continue. **

**So, this chapter goes out to NJ. You were my first reviewer and I wanted to say thanks. You made my day when I go that review. If you're still reading, thank you [:**

**Onwards with the story!**

**Disclaimer: This story is by no means affiliated to the actual story line of awesomeness created by J.K Rowling.**

* * *

"Welcome back." Remus grinned at Sirius, who was leaning back into his pillows, hands behind his head.

"Padfoot," he walked over and sat at the foot of his bed. "What'd you think of the party?"

"Same old, same old," said Sirius, "It was nice to see the Weasley again. He's quite the entertainer."

"Isn't he extremely Muggle oriented?"

"Yeah, but that's the best part. He loves Muggles. My family hates Muggles. It balances out."

"Ah, yes, the rebellious behaviour."

Sirius smiled widely, "It's what I do." He pulled himself up and stared out the window, "Moony? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, I guess. What's the matter?"

"Nothing, just… how'd it go with Tiffany?"

"What are you-"

"Don't play dumb, Moony, we know full well that you went to see her."

"We?"

"Yep." Remus and Sirius turned to look at the bathroom door which was now open, Peter standing in its threshold.

"Peter," said Remus, smiling.

"Hey. Padfoot's got a point. _We_ know that you went to see her."

"Yeah." Sirius pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, chin on his arms, "So how'd it go?"

Remus was generally very quiet after that comment and just looked at the both of them thoughtfully. "Good, I think." He said finally, making his friends grin.

"Prongs would be proud," said Peter while Sirius patted his friend on the back.

"Well, done, Moony."

"Well done? I haven't even told you guys anything. I just said that it went good."

"That's what you think. By saying that things went good, you're admitting that something did happen and you're not totally sure about her feelings in it, however, the amount of time you used to think about your answer implies that you are purposely withholding information. You wouldn't normally do that and this fact leads us to believe that you and Trixie had a somewhat romantic time in that library you're so fond of."

"Her name is Tiffany and we didn't-"

"Denial is also a step in these things, Moony," put in Peter wisely, "and you sound guilty."

"Not to mention that when you came in, your face was kind of red. Either you ran all the way here or you we blushing."

"Guys! Honestly-"

"Honestly? You're not exactly being honest, Moony, because, let's face, if you were, you'd confidently tell us what the two of you were doing in the library."

"That's not what we should be focussed on," said Remus, "Are we prepared for tomorrow?"

"Don't try to change the subject," said Sirius indignantly while Peter just laughed and crawled into his own bed.

"We're totally prepared. Sirius skipped out on the party early to get some rations on our trip. I didn't get much because he has enough to last us a week."

"Let's just hope we won't need it for that amount of time." chuckled Remus leaning against Sirius' bed post. "I think it'd be best to just get some rest."

"Rhyming at this late hour?"

Remus shoved his friend playfully before stripping off his robes and changing into dark blue pyjamas.

"Moony?"

"Yeah?"

"I really hope we find James."

Remus nodded solemnly. "Me too, Padfoot, me too."

*M*A*G*I*C*

"Padfoot," Remus shook Sirius awake. The young teen bolted upright and his wand was at Remus' throat. The brown haired Marauder froze.

"Sorry, Moony," mumbled Sirius, lowering his wand, "I'm just really tired."

"It's okay. You and I both." Remus sighed. Sirius glanced at his friend. Remus was the worrying one, but James' disappearance had made him very tense.

"Lighten up, Moony," said Sirius before rolling out of bed and heading to the bathrooms. "I'm gonna shower. Can you wake up Wormtail?"

"Yeah."

Sirius showered for a short time. He wanted to get right into searching for his friend. He put on some worn down jeans and a sweater.

He couldn't believe it wasn't even Christmas yet. The sun hadn't risen too high yet and it's current location bathed their room with a dark light.

The rebellious Black came out of the showers to see Remus trying to drag Peter out of bed. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Moony? What exactly are you doing?"

Remus looked up. He let go of Peter's arms. "Oh, hi, Sirius." He fidgeted awkwardly; Sirius motioned to Peter.

"Need help?"

"Yes, please," Remus said, backing up, allowing Sirius to come closer to Peter. Sirius leaned in to whisper in Peter's ear.

"Peter Pettigrew. Wake up now or the cheese puffs will be gone forever." Instantly, Peter's eyes flashed open and he pulled himself out of bed.

"Cheese puffs? Where?"

Sirius laughed and ruffled his friend's blond hair. "Don't worry, I won't take them away."

Peter rubbed the back of his head guiltily and began to change. Sirius grinned. His method always worked.

"Sorry, Padfoot. Morning Moony." Sirius glanced at his friend and laughed at the expression he saw there. Amazement.

"How?" he asked and Sirius smiled knowingly.

"Cheesepuffs are Peter's favourite Muggle snack," said Sirius while Peter nodded knowingly, "At the mention of them, his attention gets jacked up by, like, a billion."

"But how do you even know what Chessepuffs are?"

"Well, Lily had some and she shared them with Alice whom shared it with Frank who shared it with James who introduced it to Peter and I."

"So how is it that you guys knew and I didn't?"

"You were eating chocolate," said Sirius. He knew that Remus was oblivious to the world when given chocolate.

"Makes sense,' said Remus, shrugging his shoulders and throwing a pack over his shoulder. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go," said Sirius, "just don't wake up Frank." They looked over at their sleeping roommate, who just snored a bit and rolled onto his side.

The three wizards slipped out of their room and snuck out of the portrait. They continued down the wall, casting spells on each other to avoid the notice of the other portraits. Soon, they were at the one-eyed witch passage way, their favourite, and most secretive, way of getting into Hogsmede. "Dissendium," whispered Peter, and the witch's hump opened up, allowing the three to slip inside and rush down the passage way. They knew it by heart.

"Ready?" whispered Remus. They were just below the trapdoor of Honeydukes cellar.

Sirius nodded, hoping that his dog senses would help him find his friend. He transformed into his dog form.

"How are you doing, Paddy?" Sirius brushed Remus' leg and gave a low bark.

_Good._

"Peter?" Sirius felt the small gray rat that was Peter climb onto his head and mock salute. "Great, then let's go." Remus pushed open the entrance and climbed out. Sirius and Peter were right behind him. He pulled on his cloak and put on his hood while Peter went ahead to check for people.

"Still closed?" asked Remus when Peter returned. Peter nodded his little rat head, "Any people?" Peter shook his head that time.

"Great," Sirius began to walk up the stairs, his paws quiet against the wood. He could hear Peter following him, climbing steps as fast as he could. Sirius barked a laugh and picked up his friend with his teeth. The then proceeded to throwing the rat animagus onto his back.

Sirius could feel Peter holding on for dear life. He barked an apology.

_Sorry._

Peter patted Sirius' furry back.

_It's OK._

Remus almost stepped on Sirius' tail as the three teens escaped from the shop. Sirius growled at him.

"Sorry," mumbled Remus, locking the door behind him, "Can you sniff him out?"

They were outside on the main street now. The cool wind like a fan set on medium. Sirius' shoulder's sagged a little and came back up in an awkward shrug.

_I don't know._

"Try?"

Sirius nodded. The wizard pressed his nose to the ground, hoping to find James' scent. Sirius hung his head.

_Nothing._

Peter patted Sirius' back again.

_It's OK._

Remus rubbed Sirius' head. "Don't worry, Padfoot, we'll find him."

Sirius, as much as he trusted his dog friend, was unsure. What if James was dead? Or being tortured? Or in pain? Or-

He felt a sudden tab on his back. Peter. Remus looked down at Peter before kneeling and scratching Sirius' back. He immediately felt the fear go away. Damn his dog senses.

"Better?" asked Remus, "Maybe Prongs was right. You do have the dog part down well. I wouldn't be surprised if you stayed like this forever.

Sirius growled.

"Hey, I know. No girls. But how many girls love dogs that they would cuddle and pet?"

Sirius deliberated silently.

"Just kidding. Come on, Padfoot. We have to check everywhere in Hogsmede before they wake up."

The dog Marauder walked down the road, nose pressed against the gravel.

"Peter? Can you check the insides of the shops, please?"

Peter nodded and scrambled off Sirius' back. He then scampered into a hole against the side of a nearby dwelling. Sirius continued sniffing for James' scent while Remus did his best to look for signs on his own.

Sirius found no trace of James, but when the sun came up, higher than before, he ran back to Remus.

"Any luck, Padfoot?"

Sirius shook his head and motioned to the rising sun.

"Yeah, we'd better get moving. Can you call Peter?"

The unusually tall Marauder barked once and, soon enough, Peter came running out. He scurried over to his friends and climbed atop Sirius once more.

"One werewolf? Check. Two animagi? Check. We look good to go. Let's head for the Shrieking Shack."

Peter shivered. The Shrieking Shack was a place where Peter wasn't much help. Remus knew this too because he came over and patted Peter, soothing him.

"Don't worry, Wormtail, Sirius is here." Sirius felt Peter bob his head and clutch his fur between his paws.

With a bark, Sirius bounded forward, heading towards the supposed 'haunted' house.

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**Tada! All done**

**I'm okay for today**

**stay tuned [:**

**plz R&R**


	24. Chapter 24: Searching then Break

**Next chapter is up! Be excited. I am :3**

**This story is sorrowfully coming to an end. I'm kinda really happy. It's not especially exciting or creaive so I'd like to thank you guys, the people reading this story, again. THANKYOU!**

**This chapter is for jenn-is-me, my second reviewer. Thank you for making my day.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP... you've all heard that alot, i'm sure **

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"Nothing," said Remus. Sirius lay on the floor and placed his head between his paws. Peter slumped against Sirius, his paws on his stomach.

"I'm hungry too, buddy," said Remus smiling, "Turn back and we'll eat."

Peter retreated behind the door and transformed. "Remus?"

"I'm getting it, Peter," said Remus, pulling out Peter's clothes. He tossed them behind the door. Peter came out a few minutes later in jeans and a gray T-shirt.

"You next, Sirius."

Sirius padded over and hid behind the door. He straightened up and felt himself get taller and change into a normal wizard. "Moony? Clothes, please."

"Sure thing, Paddy."

Sirius' jeans and blue shirt hit him in the stomach. He slipped them on, grumbling.

When he came out, Remus was pulling out food for Peter. Peter was staring at whatever Remus brought out of the bag, obviously hungry.

"Lunch!" cheered Sirius, seating himself between his friends. Remus rolled his eyes and pulled out a few bottles of Butterbeer and pumpkin juice.

"Choose guys," said Remus, handing the bottles to his friends. Sirius took a Butterbeer while Peter satisfied himself with some pumpkin juice. Remus took a long drink from his bottle of pumpkin juice, his eyes faraway. Sirius wondered what his friend was thinking about.

"Maybe we should sleep?" suggested Peter, receiving a confused look from his friends. "Look, we're all tired. I know I am. None of us are used to waking up so early. We should sleep if we can. Besides, people will be roaming around Hogsmede. We have to stay inside anyway. When we find Prongs, they'll be ready for us. His captors, I mean. But if we get them at night…" Peter shrugged,

"What do we have to lose?"

They nodded slowly and finished their food. Sirius pondered on what Peter said. Although he was weak, he could be helpful. He'd pull through most of the time. He was one of the Marauders after all.

Sirius drifted slowly into a worry-full but dreamless sleep.

*M*A*G*I*C*

Remus first shift and let his friends sleep. He envied their easy escape from reality. He, after James' disappearance, had both good and bad dreams that left him sleeping in. Remus thought himself extremely lucky that he had woken up on their day of searching.

The young werewolf ran a hand through his hair as he knew both James and Sirius did. He looked at Sirius' face. It was almost peaceful until he turned to his side and murmured a name.

James.

James had connected them all and he always had. He was the soul of bravery. He was practically a brother of a kid whose whole family was in his most hated house; he had supported and broken the law for a werewolf; he'd befriended a weak wizard whom he believed had potential.

Remus leaned against the wooden planks of the Shrieking Shack, thoughts of James running through his head. James, wherever he was, was hopefully thinking of them. Hopefully, he knew that they were coming.

*M*A*G*I*C*

Sirius woke up after 2 hours and, although he could have gone back to sleep, he moved to join Remus. "Moony?"

"Padfoot?" he said surprised, "Why're you up?"

"Not tired. We woke up 4 hours ago."

"I see."

Sirius was silent for a moment before posing a question. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"

"Of course. He's done so much for me and I feel like I can't do anything for him."

Sirius had been aware of Remus' growing anxiety everyday. His friend was definitely the worrier of the group.

"I'm worried too, but we have to have faith. He's a good bloke now. He knows magic. I trust him and you do too.

Remus just nodded. After all, Sirius didn't sound as confident as he tried to be. He had his own doubts.

"It's just that," said Remus slowly, "I feel kind of guilty."

At this, Sirius was confused.

"Guilty? For what?"

Remus squinted a bit. "Even though I worry about James, I worry about others too."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Like who? Your girlfriend?"

"I do not… she's not… we're-"

Sirius laughed and put an arm around his friend. "You don't need to feel guilty about worry about your girlfriend and your friend. It's OK."

Remus gave a small smile, "You sound so experienced."

The grey-eyed one laughed again. "One date per girl, my friend. This dog has no collar."

"One day you will."

Sirius shrugged. "I doubt it, but you?' he smiled, "You'll get a collar. _Guaranteed._"

"You think?"

"You doubt me? Do you not know what _guaranteed_ means?"

"I know what it means, Paddy," he snapped but Sirius knew that his friend was now somewhat relieved. The pair was quiet for a moment. Sirius removed his arm and instead pulled his legs closer to himself, resting his chin on his knees. Remus rubbed his eyes before sighing to himself. "Poor Lily."

"Hmm?"

Remus looked over at his friend, "I was thinking that I kind of feel bad for Lily."

"You would," said Sirius, rolling his eyes.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that you always agree with her on a lot of things, especially when the pertain to James."

"Of course. I do that because Lily needs to know that she's not crazy."

"She is crazy."

"No, she's not. James is annoying and extremely doting because he's in love with her. He also trusts her a lot but Lily thinks it's just her."

"It _is_ just her."

"That's not what I meant. She thinks she's alone in this."

Sirius gave him a look. "She is kind of alone in this. James likes her."

"And she's in denial about it."

"Aren't they all?" Remus shook his head at his friend's foolishness, "Let's just get something straight. This week has shown two crucial pieces of information. Lily misses James," Remus nodded, "You miss Thalia," Sirius waved off Remus retorted; "You miss the ones you love. Neither you nor Lily can deny that. Now go to sleep. You woke up even earlier than usual. In fact, I doubt you got any sleep at all last night. So sleep, Moony, go dream about your girl."

"What?"

Sirius laughed and playfully pushed his friend towards the bed in the room. "Go to sleep. We both know you dream about her."

As much as Remus wanted to protest, he suddenly felt terribly tired.

"Only for a moment, then," Sirius smirked as Remus lay down beside Peter. Within seconds, he knew his wolfish friend was unconscious. Sirius lay back against the wooden walls and stretched a bit.

About an hour into his shift, Sirius got bored and decided to look through the sack. Remus had brought books, quills, ink, a notebook, food and a Rememberal.

Sirius, after checking to make sure his friends were asleep, grabbed a book. He flipped through the pages roughly, fully knowing which page he was looking for. Sirius kept turning pages until he discovered the page in question

It was a page on casting a patronus.

Interested and more than a little curious, Sirius had practised his patronus numerous times. He figured that now, when his friends were unconscious, would be a good time. He had nothing better to do. And he wasn't exactly in the mood for sharing his accomplishment. In the past, Sirius had perfected his patronus. Once. But he had been interrupted and his friends hadn't been informed of it. Now, with more memories at hand, Sirius was sure that his patronus would be flawless.

He thought of a memory, the happiest one he could remember. One of his favourite memories.

It was when Snape and Lily had left the compartment. They had been fighting with James and himself. The pair had left and Remus, curious, had asked if he could sit with them. Peter, shy and withdrawn, had asked as well and that was when the trouble began. They were placed in Gryffindor together, they were best friends, and they were the unstoppable Marauders.

"Expecto Patronum."

A silvery light burst out of his wand and the figure of a great dog appeared in front of him. Sirius grinned but his moment of happiness was short-lived.

There was a voice.

"Damn, where'd they go?" he froze. Who could it possibly be? Sirius sent his Patronus forward with a flick of his wand, wondering what had found them. He heard a series of footsteps and his breath caught.

After a moment, he transformed into his dog self, dragging his clothes to the side. Then he growled lowly and lifted his nose into the air, sniffing.

"If I get lost…" Sirius knew it was a girl and the scent was familiar. Could it be the enemy? Someone he knew? Tiffany?

Sirius regretted his thought instantly. It was odd to have the thought now, especially since Remus fancied her. Besides, he doubted the Ravenclaw was that brave. It'd have been stupid of her to follow them into the Shrieking Shack and Ravenclaws were known for being the opposite of stupid.

He sniffed again and barked once. The girl's breath caught and she stopped walking.

"H-hello?" she stuttered

Sirius growled and barked once more, effectively waking Peter and causing him to fall off the bed. This ended in a loud thump, making the stranger squeak.

Before Peter could talk or speak, Sirius padded over, grabbed a pillow with his teeth, and put it on Peter's face. Peter then proceeded to pull the pillow off his face and slide it under his head. Sirius wasn't even sure, but he assumed that Peter was now fast asleep on the floor. The animagus went around to Remus' side and tugged on the sheets. Remus woke up immediately and blinked to fix his eyes.

"Wha-?"

But Sirius cut him off with a bark that caused the stranger to stop again. Loudly.

"Who?" mouthed Remus.

Sirius gave an awkward shrug and turned to the door, fur bristled. Remus pulled out his wand and went over to Peter's side; the side hidden from sight. He shook him, trying to wake Peter up but no result. Sirius sniffed the air again. He knew that scent. It was from the Cheesepuff bag! But it wasn't James. It was someone else's. Perhaps a past owner?

"Anyone here?" Sirius heard the girl; she was a foot away from the door, "Here, doggy, doggy?"

Sirius jerked his head for them to stay hidden and then looked at the door again. He was ready to fight the enemy, whoever she was.

The door creaked open slowly.

Sirius pounced.

Only to fall on *********.

To Be Continued…

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**Okay then [: that will be the end of this chapter**

**who is following the Marauders?**

**who is this extremely mysterious girl?**

**stay tuned :3**

**if it's not too much trouble, plz R&R**

**arigato**


	25. Chapter 25: Discovery and More Waiting

**When I last left off, someone was walking in on the remaining Marauders. Here, her identity is revealed. **

**Hope you'll enjoy it  
that is, if you're still reading this crap**

**and thank you a jillion times to XritaskeeterhatersX. You've been a supporter of this story for a while and your reviews means so much. Thank you again  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP. (i wish it was just the sauce that i didn't own)**

* * *

The door creaked open slowly.

Sirius pounced.

Only to fall on Lily Evans.

Sirius scrambled off her in confusion.

Lily rubbed her head and smiled at the dog. "What was that for?" she asked, "You lost of something?"

The young Marauder was still uncertain but seeing as Lily didn't seem to know that he was an animagus but he supposed he looked like a black dog to her.

He barked a bit.

"What wrong now?" Lily looked around; Sirius prayed that his friends had hidden well.

He whined, acting like a frightened puppy.

"Aww, don't worry," Lily put a hand on his head and scratched a little. Sirius panted a little. There had been a flea in that one spot and it's been driving him mental…

Then again, if James was here, he'd probably throw a fit for being so jealous.

After a short moment, Sirius pulled away and made for the door. Despite his enjoyment at getting scratched, he knew that Lily wasn't supposed to be there. In the back of his mind, Sirius was suspicious of Lily. They had covered their trail well, Remus had done it himself, so why had she found them? What had possessed her to search for them? The fact that Lily had been able to track them meant that others could be as well. He'd have to lead her away, far away from the Shrieking Shack, far away from his friends so that could have a clean get-away.

"Where are you going?"

_Away from you,_ Sirius thought, although he couldn't exactly show her what he meant through his body language. Lily followed him through thw door curiously. She was oddly trusting…

"Is there anyone else here with you?"

Sirius was afraid to look at their hiding place to check that his friends were well hidden. He shook his head for a no.

"So you're all alone?"

Sirius hesitated. The way she spoke now was sort of soft and she, looked dazed, like she was thinking of something else.

Sirius bobbed his head for an answer before padding out of the room, expecting Lily to follow, but turned around when Lily didn't follow. She was standing still, arm across her body, clutching her stomach with a sort of sick look on her face. Her head was bowed and Sirius couldn't see her face clearly.

He walked back and looked up at her through the curtain of fire-red hair where he met a pair of green eyes filled with grief. Whether it was for James, or for something else, he didn't know but he did know that Lily wasn't sad for just anyone.

The 'dog' nudged Lily's knee with a cold nose that caught her attention, causing her to start a bit at the contact. "Hmm?" Lily smiled a small smile at Sirius and got down on her haunches. She scratched his chin affectionately. "I'm sorry, but where are you planning to go?"

Sirius motioned, with his nose, to the door, leading out of the Shrieking Shack.

"Outside, huh?" Lily glanced at the door, "Yeah, that'll be okay, I guess."

In all honestly, Sirius wondered why Lily was so accepting and trusting of this black dog that wanted to go outside. Why wasn't she the least bit suspicious? He'd thought that Lily was smarter than that, that she took more caution. Perhaps he was wrong. But it didn't matter. He had to get her outside before Remus and Peter were found out.

After another bark, Sirius bounded out the door and heard her follow.

_Meet you at the Forest,_ he thought, _don't forget._

*M*A*G*I*C*

Remus and a half-awake Peter watched as their friend led Lily away. It was a sacrifice, but it had to happen. Remus knew that it would be a while before Sirius could leave Lily and return. He also knew that if, in fact, Lily had followed them then others might be following her.

And the Forbidden Forest wasn't a place for students that weren't prepared for it's contents.

"Come on, Wormtail, let's go." Remus said after a moment of deliberation.

"What about Sirius?"

"He'll catch up, so let's go."

Peter groaned a bit, but continued up and stood beside Remus. "Go where?"

"Well, we could follow him, but I think he wants us to meet him somewhere?"

"Like the Forbidden Forest?"

"Exactly like the Forbidden Forest. We made a Plan B while you were sleeping. It was a plan that would be put into action when and if we wee ever separated."

"And you wait to tell me now?"

"You were asleep. We tried to tell you last night but you fall asleep way too quickly."

Peter gave a non-embarrassed shrug and motioned for Remus to follow him. They walked down the stairway carefully, steps soft. Lily and Sirius seemed far away, so much so that they couldn't see them anymore, and they decided to proceed to the tunnel that led out to the roots. Remus popped his head out for a short moment to check for people.

Nobody.

"I've got the button, Peter."

"Okay." Remus moved forward and pressed on the knot, freezing the Whomping Willow. They clambered out and shot towards the Forbidden Forest.

"So...he'll meet us here?" asked Peter, slipping behind a tall tree.

"If I know Sirius, and I do know Sirius, then yes, he will."

"Well, you _are_ the smart one."

"Thanks," Remus searched for a good adjective for Peter, "You're pretty smart yourself," Peter snorted, "No, it's true!"

"Not really."

"I'm serious."

"No, Sirius is serious."

Remus rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean, Wormtail."

Peter smirked. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Moony, but, honestly, I don't know why you guys let me hangout with you."

"Everyone in our group is different. You're different too."

"Thank you?"

Remus peeked around the tree then hid behind it once more. "I reckon Sirius'll be late."

"Late?"

"He won't be here as soon as he anticipated. There's no way he'll get here before Lily gets something out of him."

"But Lily doesn't know he's an Animagus."

"That may be true but our Padfoot is one for games. It doesn't help much that Lily is a girl either."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that in all the years that he's been here, Padfoot has been very good with women. So good that it's become a sort of second nature to him."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that he will not leave Lily alone until he gets her to say what he wants her to say. Either way, he will be here later than he will have anticipated."

"So we will just wait, then," it wasn't a question; it was a statement.

"Yep."

* * *

**Well, i'm done this chapter**

**when I was in grade 7, i realized that my writing was kinda off the wall. There was a part in the story that I'd written that didn't really fit with the story line. Still, I felt like I'd be wasting it if I didn't add it in so the extended bit is just below**

**thanks for reading [:**

* * *

Remus and Peter were the normal people -average on some standards- but most people would call them unattractive. Remus kept to himself and his books, sticking to the shadows so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. Peter was just a loner that James had taken under his wing, a member of their circle due to his inclusive wish.

Both were surprised they'd been added into James' close personal circle but after a few months, it'd become obvious.

They had everything; smarts, skill, wit, brilliant acting skills, the right amount of innocence, creativity. The Marauders took what they wanted. The punished the bad and gave laughs to the good.

Yes, the Marauders were like Robin Hoods of Hogwarts.

At least, in their heads.

* * *

**Done! See? If i'd put that at the end of the actual chapter, it wouldn't really make sense.**

**All the same, thanks for reading. (again)**

**please R&R**


	26. Chapter 26: You Miss James Potter

**So this is the 26th chapter I think. It's kinda weird to be writing such short chapters but I'm far too lazy to go back and cut and paste the words. Hope it's not too annoying.**

**Enjoy :3**

**And a shout out to GoodbyeLove15. i really appreciated your review. thank you so much.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter...damn**

* * *

Sirius had led Lily quite a way away from the forest.

It was at this time that Sirius initially planned to escape and leave her but the look on her face caused him to rethink it.

Maybe it was the dog-loyalty instinct or the chivalry pre-placed in all guys or his flirtatious disposition or perhaps he had just spent far too much time with James, but Sirius landed up taking a long walk with Lily. As much as he wished to with her, he couldn't because somehow, somewhere deep down, he felt that she was about to cry.

Sirius didn't necessarily want to know why but he knew that James would want to know. Especially if it was Severus Snape that had caused the said reaction.

How Sirius longed to prank that greasy haired devil again.

The dog animagus sat down on a little hill implying that Lily should do the same. The ground was cold but he trusted Lily would be fine with it. He ended up right. Lily sat down without complaint and gave Sirius a smile.

"So, are you lost?" Lily glanced at his neck, "You don't seem to have a collar either. Do you even have an owner?"

Sirius didn't particularly care to tell her or give her any sign that she made sense to him but he had already shown that he understood human speech. Did muggle dogs act like that too?

"Do you like the outdoors?"

Sirius nodded. _Sure._

"So do I. I have weird dreams about it too."

He wasn't interested, but dreams... Remus had been having odd dreams lately as well. He'd mentioned them a few times... Sirius himself had not experienced anything weird with his dreams but that didn't mean he didn't have any, right?

Sirius barked once, wanting Lily to elaborate. She seemed to understand and told him, "The last few night I've been waking up sweating madly but not remembering my dreams. But when I do remember them, they're horrible."

Sirius cocked his head to the side and whined a little, hopefully conveying to Lily his desire.

And once again, she seemed to understand his silent plea.

"Most of my dreams consist of dark things... the crashing of glass, blood and shadows but..." Lily took a deep breath like she had gasped the whole sentence, "he's always in them. Every night for the last week, he's always there. Usually alive and hurting but this time..." Sirius watched her green eyes well up with tears. "He was-" Lily choked and she could not say another word. She didn't have to either. Sirius could fill in the blanks on his own. The 'he' in her dream wasn't confirmed yet but he had a pretty good idea who it was.

Sirius whined a bit and placed his paws on her leg before leaning into them and looking up at her with solemn eyes. He hated it when girl's were upset. It made them uptight and clingy, not good for his tastes. However, he's had enough experience to know what they wanted to hear in the vulnerable state and, while he could not exactly express it in his dog form, Sirius tried his best to console Lily without words.

At this, Lily smiled a bit before the tears spilled over and her hands came up to her face. "It's all my fault," she mumbled between sobs, "he's gone and it's all my fault."

There it was. Sirius was almost sure now that the person in her dreams was none other than James Potter. If a dog could smirk, then Sirius would have been doing just that. At least, he'd be trying not to do that while the Sirius on the inside was grinning like mad. He personally couldn't wait to congratulate James. Still, Sirius felt a tad bit guilty for thinking such things. After all, while he was happy by Lily's near confirmation of her love for James, she was still upset because she thought him lost to her.

It probably didn't help that she saw him die in a dream either.

Still, it didn't stop Sirius from thinking about the future, slipping into a more positive mindset than he was used to. He didn't doubt that when James was brought back, his friend would get a more direct confession.

So Sirius decided that while he was there, he might as well hear a good confession, seeing as James might not want to share his.

Sirius looked into Lily's eyes and acting confused, furrowing his eyebrows as best he could.

"You don't know who this guy is, do you?" She wiped the tears away and tried to smile, ending with a pained expression. "He is a guy that I think I've liked for the longest time but I didn't really know for sure until last night, when I had that dream... And now that I know about these feelings, he's gone and disappeared so I resolved to find him so I can tell him. After all, the fact that he is missing is my fault." She let out a strangled sob before calming herself. She then looked over at Sirius and a choked out laugh came out, "Oh, what am I doing? Talking to a dog..." she patter Sirius' head with a kind of affection that he was used to by most people he'd met in this form, "I'm sorry. I have an odd adoration for dogs and, while you were very distracting, I'm afraid that I must be going again. Excuse me and I hope you find your owner." Lily got up, forcing Sirius to move as well and she patted down her jeans before moving to leave again. With her back turned, Sirius transformed quickly back into himself, using his wand that he kept in a secret compartment to put clothes on.

Once fully clothed, he shouted, "Where are you going?"

Lily practically screamed. She turned around quickly, hands over her heart.

"Sirius?"

"The one and only," he said theatrically, bowing a bit before straightening and continuing his sentence, "What's with the tears, Evans? Missing something?"

"What's it too you?" she snapped, taking two steps towards him.

"Well, you have been abnormally unsocial lately and you just called me Sirius which means that, A, you've fallen for me," she snorted, "or, B, you're realized that truth."

"I don't know what you're talking about and I don't care about your 'so-called' truth." Lily began to stalk away but stopped dead in her tracks when Sirius said four very meaningful words.

"You miss James Potter."

* * *

**All done. **

**If you have any questions comments or concerns then please review or send me a message on my profile**

**hope you liked it**

**(soon, your torture will be over)**

**R&R please and thank you [:**


	27. Chapter 27: Getting Closer

**hello again! yes, it's another chapter. But i decided to mix two together to spare you from clicking an extra button. aren't i nice?**

**so basically, this chapter was posted because a certain friend of mine (jacqueline, this means you) nagged me aaaallllll day to post more. so thank her for annoying me. it's bad enough i have her in almost every class...**

**oh well.**

**for this, i would like to thank A.P.W.B.D.-the badass one, (JEFFREY!) miss you buddy and thanks for all your support**

**Disclaimer: i don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive."

"They might hurt you."

"That's a chance worth taking."

James fidgeted, "How many?"

"Pardon?"

"Death Eaters. How many will come?"

"One for each of your friends plus me. That'll be 4...maybe 5."

"I see... try not to hurt them, kay?"

"I thought you knew I was smarter than that." And James knew she was. He was just worried about his friends. True, they were smart and skilled but, all the same, separated, they might be found out and easier to target.

"I do know, it's just..."

"Don't worry, James. Everything will go according to plan. I hope."

*M*A*G*I*C*

"Of course I miss him." Lily folded her arms across her chest. "We won't win the Cup without him.

"What are you talking about now?" Sirius wondered at the sudden reference.

"You boys always work on Quidditch and we win practically every year."

"Sure."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that you're trying to convince me that you miss James because of his Quidditch ability?"

"Well, yeah..."

Sirius roared with laughter, "Lily Evans, you are the worst liar I've ever met."

"What?" she spluttered, which made Sirius laugh harder.

"I can't wait till James hears that the unattainable Lily Evans loves his Quidditch ability." He almost fell to the ground.

"I don't love his Quidditch ability." Sirius continued to laugh and Lily just stared at him, disgusted, "Merlin's beard, you're so annoying, Black."

"Oh, it's Black now, is it?"

"Argggh!" Lily crossed her arms, turned her back on him and began to walk away, "Such a waste of time..." she muttered, leaving Sirius where he was.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. She was going towards the castle. "So that's how you're going to find James? By sulking and pouting back to the castle? By getting pissed off at the only ones who can help you?"

Lily swivelled to face him, "Pardon me? There are a lot of people that could help me, least of all you. What makes you think I even want to found James?"

"I don't think it, darling, I _know_ it," he grinned his signature grin, "Why else would you follow the Marauders?"

"I wasn't following you!"

"Denial~!" cried Sirius in a singing like voice.

"I am not in-" she stopped short and glared at Sirius, who pretended not to notice.

"So what's it going to be, Evans? Mope or come with me?"

"And what gives you the idea that I want to come with you?"

"You can stay out here if you want. Really and truly, I don't care whether you come or not but I'm sure you do." Lily bit her lip. She just needed one more tug... "James would care."

"Fine..." she said.

"Wonderful!" Sirius cheered a bit, grabbed Lily's wrist, and headed for the Forbidden Forest. "This way, Mrs Potter."

"I am not marrying him," she said angrily but her anger was from the amount of running they had done. Sirius smiled proudly. He knew that he was hard to keep up with. The continued to walk, Sirius somewhat ahead of her

"Sure, sure. But you definitely sounded like you wanted to marry him in that heartfelt confession."

"Heartfelt what?"

"Yeah, you know; the whole 'it's my fault' thing?"

"I-how exactly did you know I said that?"

"Well, the dog that was here with you?"

"How did you-"

"He's mine."

"Really?" the topic of the dog seemed to distract her "He was such a cute dog."

"Oh, I know," Sirius smirked. He knew he was cute. Another thing to tell James when he got back, "He gets told that a lot."

"Does he? What's his name?"

"Oh! His name...it's...uh...Paddy."

"Paddy?" she stifled a laugh, which Sirius knew was coming. He had come up with it on the fly, so it wasn't exactly the name he'd have chosen but it'd have to do."Not exactly something I'd expect from you."

_You and me both_, he thought bitterly but he said something else, "Paddy is a perfectly fine name, Evans. Or should I start calling you Lily? Naw... the name still doesn't suit you."

"What do you mean? What did you expect me to be named?"

"I don't know. Redheaded Devil?" he expertly dodged a hit, "Oh well. That would've been a really good name. Here we are."

Sirius watched Lily take in the sight. They were standing in front of the Forbidden Forest.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Beautifully deadly is more like it." Sirius had always appreciated the Forest's dangerous feel. Not many people saw how useful the Forbidden Forest could be. Then again, only Hagrid, the Marauders and perhaps Dumbledore appreciated the Forest. After all, it had done so much for him and his friends. It was almost like...what did Muggles call it? Oh, that's right. A 'secret club house'. A secret club house for the Marauders. Only, this club house was more like a giant mansion. A deadly giant mansion with killer spiders, huge centaurs and magical unicorns. They continued forward.

Sirius smiled to himself as he recollected all the memories made in the forest before them (**A.N memories that would take far too long to recount to you, believe it.**). They weren't bad, but they were memories that would stay within the Marauders' circle. Their inside jokes.

Lily stared at him.

"What now?"

"When you smiled just then...it creeps me out."

"I thought it would."

"So you're doing it on purpose?"

"Absolutely," he began, "not."He laughed at Lily's anger. She'd have to get used to him if she intended to be James' official girlfriend; which Sirius didn't doubt would happen.

He stared at the trees before him and was fine for a few moments before the doubts returned to him. What if James was so deep in that he couldn't be found? What if the magic hiding him were too strong?

"Black!" Sirius turned to face Lily.

"Yeah?"

"Focus, will you? You're the one leading. I'm not even totally sure where we're going."

"Well, we're going to find James. And it seems like the only other place on the ground that hasn't been properly searched. It could very well be the Forest that he is being hidden in." Sirius turned back to the forest, squinting into the tall trees that marked the outskirts of the Forest. Then he raised his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Moony! Wormtail!"

"Black! What are you doing?" Lily pulled his hands away from his mouth, nails digging through the blue fabric of his sleeve. He almost hissed in pain but he managed to restrain himself.

"Calling reinforcements." He saw Lily eyes widen with understanding. "Moony! Wormtail!" he called again, causing a rustle in a nearby bush. Lily drew her wand and pointed it at the movement. "Guys! That's not funny." Sirius narrowed his eyes at the bush. He doubted it was the enemy. It was probably Remus and Peter just trying to tease them. Then again...

"Maybe they went looking for James on their own."

"I told them to wait for me outside the Forest."

"Why? Weren't you with them?"

"Um, no? I was chasing after my dog, Paddy, who'd gone with you."

"Oh yeah... sorry." She said it somewhat sheepishly, unaware of Sirius' small lie. He, on the other hand, wasn't exactly paying attention to her. He was busy scanning what was visible and looking for any sign of his friends, "Still no sign?"

"No. I kinda want to get Paddy to track them from here. That is...if I can find him. He ran off once I found you in the field." Another lie, but it was believable. Sirius was itching to transform on the spot but had to take Lily along for the ride as well. Transforming in front of her was not a good option...

"Should we split up?" that was the suggestion he needed.

"Do you mind?"

"As long as you do so fast and quick. As long as you come back because this forest creeps me out."

"Perhaps." She glared at him but Sirius was unfazed, "Hey, it depends if I get caught. It's the middle of the afternoon and we don't want people figuring out that we're not confident with Dumbledore's cover up." Lily didn't seem happy about it, "I'll come back but you need to stay here. Moony and Wormtail may come here and I'll need you to be there to tell them where I am. If I'm with my dog, I can find you guys easily. I'm the only one that'd be able to find him anyway. You wouldn't have a chance."

"Cocky much?"

"Of course," he flashed a smile, "I know the tricks of the trade."

"I'm sure you do," she said sarcastically. Sirius turned away after a short salute to Lily and sprinted for the Whomping Willow. After a quick glance behind him warily, Sirius transformed, but not before writing a short note on a slip of parchment that was in his pants.

_Preoccupied. Sent Paddy to you. Luck finding James. Will catch up later._

_-Sirius _

He'd tied it to his neck with a spare piece of string and was making his way back to the place he'd left Lily. When he crested the hill, the closer he got to her the more afraid he became. There were two shadows making their way to her from the forest and he didn't recognize them at a distance. His dog eyes weren't that good. He sped up and barked fiercely in case the shadows were foes but after catching a certain scent, he was no longer afraid. He bounded forward with more excitement than anything else and ran right into Remus.

His friend almost fell backward since Sirius' dog form was quite heavy. He patted his friend's head.

"Nice to see you again."

"You know Paddy?" the curiosity in Lily's voice was obvious. Remus glanced between Sirius and Lily a few times before smiling very slyly, "Yes, I do."

Sirius tried to glare at him. Remus would never let him hear the end of it. Never. "Where'd you find him?"

"In the Shrieking Shack. Did you know Sirius had a dog?"

"Oh yeah," grinned Peter, "Those two go waaaaaay back."

"Hi, _Paddy_," Sirius growled at Remus, "Where's Sirius?"

Sirius gave him a look that said, 'Don't play stupid with me'. Remus laughed and looked at Lily.

"I see. So Lily, why are you and Paddy out here? I mean, it's really odd that you'd come all the way here, to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, with a dog."

"Well, I was just with Black but- hey, what's that on your neck, Paddy?" Lily leaned down and untied the string around Sirius' neck. She then went on to unravelling the parchment, reading it, and showing it to Remus.

When he got it, he nodded with a sort of understanding. Sirius saw comprehension on his friend's face and was relieved that he'd put two and two together. "Ok. So you were looking for us. That explains...i don't know... NOTHING! Why did you come looking for us in the first place? To stop us?"

Sirius glanced at Lily.

"No, I've come to join you."

"Join us?" squeaked Peter.

"What Peter means is, are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she said firmly. Remus risked a glance at Sirius who nodded his approval. _Trust her._

Remus sighed, "Okay. I didn't really want you involved in this but if you're sure." Lily grinned.

"Moony," whispered Wormtail, gesturing into the Forest. Sirius tugged on Remus' pants to get his attention and helped him see what Peter had been trying to point out. Sirius' fur stood on end as he stared into the Forest. The dark aura that surrounded a certain area had all but disappeared. It was faint but the four wizards could make out shadows, dark tall shadows that moved with the aura. They (Sirius and co.) hid behind the trees out of fear for the moving shadows before them.

Sirius took a sniff and heard Lily breath the word he was afraid of, "Death Eaters." With a glance at the young witch, Sirius could tell that she was scared. In his current state, the feelings of both humans and a/nimals were clear to him. Remus was cautious but was somewhat excited at the prospect of the ordeal being finally closed.

Peter, on the other hand, was scared out of his mind. This was hardly a surprised though. Sirius knew full well that his friend was a 'fraidy rat. **(A.N. to the Peter I know, you're not a fraidy cat. You're awesome, jess!) **He stepped out first when the darkness seemed to recede. He body shook for a minute in an attempt to shake off the cold feeling.

"They were like dementors," said Peter with a shiver.

"Indeed," Remus stared at the direction the shadows had disappeared into. "They were very much dementors like..."

"What's wrong, Remus?" Lily asked, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

He looked at her and smiled, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Lily nodded but didn't look absolutely convinced. Sirius sniffed twice. There was no doubt in his mind that those Death Eaters had something to do with James' disappearance. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite pinpoint their scent. It was all mixed up and probably coated with magic to prevent followers.

"You can't track them, can you?"

Sirius shook his head. It was unfortunate but they wouldn't be able to follow them without being spotted.

"Then we're stuck." Peter curled up at the base of the trees, eyes downcast. "What are we going to do? If those Death Eaters have something to do with James then we need to track then. But…"

Sirius whined… bending down so that his head rested on his paws. They were stuck. Nothing could help then down. No-

A flash of white caught Sirius' eye and he immediately looked up. The white flash flinted through the tops of the trees, using the sunlight to cover it. It was mid-day and the everything was more distinct than it usually was at night.

The white flash was spotted on a far tree and Sirius barked at it.

"Paddy?" the three teens looked at Sirius who just barked again and headed straight for the tree. The closer he got, the more distinct the white flash got. It was soon no longer a flash but a figure.

A figure that looked startling enough like a bird.

* * *

**all done**

**(i hope you're satisfied, jacqueline T_T)**

**please read and review [:**


	28. Chapter 28: Closing In

**Hey hi hello! it's Paddycake back for another chapter. This ain't long so don't get your hopes up. However, you will be pleased to know that the climax is, quite literally, just around the corner. Stick around and enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

A figure that looked startling enough like a bird. It had wings like a bird and that much was not uncommon. What Remus found odd was that this bird was silver and wispy, like it wasn't really there. "A Patronus."

Remus looked at Peter, "Pardon me?"

"I said it's a Patronus. That's the only thing that makes sense. There's no way that bird would be that colour and wispy in that way." Peter gave Remus a desperate look, "Do you know what I mean?"

"I think I do, Wormtail," Remus surveyed the Patronus with calculating eyes, "But don't know what it's doing here." The bird suddenly flew off its perch and began to come towards them.

"What's it doing?" asked Peter shakily, clinging to the tree he'd been hiding behind.

"I'm not altogether sure." Remus glanced over at Lily, "Any ideas? You are Head Girl after all."

"I know that, Remus, but I really haven't got a clue." Her green eyes were fixed on the Patronus but she was backing away slowly, "Perhaps..."

"Perhaps what?"

"Well, I was just thinking, why would the Patronus be here? I mean, we saw Death Eaters not even 10 minutes ago. And now, here is a flying bird Patronus heading right for us. Maybe it's just me but I feel like that's a sign."

"A sign?"

The bird Patronus slowly got closer and it opened it's beak to let out a loud high pitched sound. Sirius whined and the rest of the company covered their ears. Why would a Patronus make such a horrific noise? However, when Remus concentrated on it, he could hear the underlining word. _Follow._

Remus took a step out from behind the tree. "Remus, what are you doing?" hissed Lily, grabbing at his shirt. The young wizard shook her off and continued to walk towards the Patronus. It was hypnotic, the Patronus, and Remus felt an undeniable attraction to the silver bird.

"Can't you hear it?'

"Hear what?"

"The words." Remus lifted his hand as an invitation for the Patronus to land on it. He could feel a rush of air on his bare palm as it flew down. The bird Patronus cried out again, but this time its words were as clear as day.

"Follow." Sirius' ears perked up and he padded up to Remus, eyes fixed on the bird.

Remus nodded. "I will." The Patronus continued downward until it was mere centimetres away from his hand. However, the moment it touched his skin, the Patronus scattered, swirling and fading around the two of them. What was left of the Patronus settled on their skin (Sirius' fur) while Lily and Peter stood behind, untouched and in awe of the Patronus.

After a few moments, when the wisps had disappeared completely, Lily and Peter dared to more towards them.

"Remus? Are you alright?"

The young wizard turned to her and frowned, "I'm not sure, actually."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know really, but when I look over there," he gestured to the wide expanse of forest that was before them, "I see silver."

Lily looked at the Forest with confused eyes. "I don't see it."

"You don't?" Remus stared through the trees, confused as well, but for a different reason. You see, Remus could see strands of silver that lead into the Forest, moving through the trees to a deeper, more shadowed, area. He wasn't sure why Lily couldn't see it for he could see it as clear as day.

Sirius barked sharply, making his friends look down at him. He gestured with his muzzle to the Forest and began to walk through it. "Paddy, what are you doing?" asked Lily, stepping away from Remus to follow the dog. Sirius just barked, his way of saying, "_Follow and you're find out."_

Of course, Lily didn't know that. Only those that were familiar to his patterns would have known; people like Remus and Peter for example. So Remus explained to Lily that Sirius/Paddy was a dog that had an amazing sense of smell and that he had probably picked up James' scent; a half truth. Sirius didn't smell James at all. In fact, he, like Remus, was able to see the thin strand of silver that led through the Forest. Like a trail of sorts. He led his friends through the Forest; all but Remus wondering why he was taking the odd sort of path he was for only Remus could see that Sirius was following the silver trail.

It wasn't until much later that Peter begged for rest. Lily had a sort of Muggle contraption on her wrist, which she called a watch, which was used to tell time. She said that they had been walking for the last hour and that, like Peter, she needed a break from the walking. So that sat down and had lunch. Remus was very careful in the food portions he dished out. He didn't want anything to be too uneven and he had a hard time explaining why he had no dog food for 'Paddy'.

"I mean, you shouldn't be able to keep him healthy with human food, should you?"

"As long as we don't give him chocolate, right, _Paddy_?" Remus watched Sirius' fur bristle and laugh, "Don't take it personally, _Paddy_, all dogs can't have chocolate." Sirius just gave a growl and settled on lapping 'water' from a bowl Remus had brought.

"How much longer do you think it's going to take, Moony?"

"Well," Remus looked out at the Forest, following the silver trail with his eyes, "not much farther, I hope? Lily? Could you maybe give me the time?"

"The time?" she glanced down at her watch. "12:23."

"Thank you. I suppose, if we're done eating, we will continue walking until we reach James' said location. Alright?"

Lily and Peter nodded, gathering up the empty plates and handing them to Remus. He then shrunk them down and put them in his knapsack. They then stood up and, following Sirius' swishing tail, they walked through the Forest once more.

Hopes high.

* * *

"Okay, I am officially lost."

Raven rolled her eyes, and glared through her mask. "Would you shut up, Shine? We really don't have time for this."

She 'hmph'ed and continued to swing her legs off the end of the crates.

"She's right, Shine, we can't afford to be confused. We have to stay on our toes." Knight was leaning against the cold stone wall, eyes fixed on his partner.

"Easy for you to say. All of you are so secretive."

"It's for a good reason," said Angel, voice soft, "Without these masks we are more susceptible to being caught."

"Stop using big words, Angel, it's bugging me," said Shine with another flick of her hair, "Only Fox, Bell and Raven should use big words. They're the bookworms."

"Wha-" gasped Bell while Fox just growled.

"I suggest you listen to Raven and shut your bloody mouth, Shine."

"Peace, children. Give Raven silence. She needs it." Secret voice was quiet but implied power and commanded respect.

The hiding place became quiet once more, save a light snoring in the corner. The group could see Raven's lips moving, her wand up to indicate she was casting a spell. Secret stood beside her, eyes careful.

After a few moments, she lowered her wand and gave a huge sigh.

"Is it done?" he asked carefully.

"It is," she said, a small smiling falling on her features, "Ready your wands. This is going to get chaotic."

* * *

**finito! i like writing for these Death Eaters. It makes me excited!**

**and you guys should thank Jacqueline again cuz she's the one that made me post this.**

**(ps. cardoso, if you're reading this, HI )**

**plz R&R**


	29. Chapter 29: Lock On

**Hey peoples. yes, this is me again. Um, this chapter was at the request of my friend Jacqueline, again. T_T**

**yeah. while it kinda annoys me, it's good to know that someone alive actually readers what I write. I appreciate it. and to all of you who have put up with my weird chapters and crazy ass spelling mistakes, I thank you. You have MTAP. That means more than average patience. And you iz awesome **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

* * *

They had been walking for hours and Lily was ready to give up on the excursion. She had been with the two boys and their dog for quite sometimes and she still couldn't wrap her head around what they really were.

Remus appeared to be very focussed, but, very now and then, he would glance at the dog that padded along at his side. Peter kept fidgeting beside her, but after a while, he stopped, eyes watching his two friends. Lily was very confused by these actions, but then remembered that the Marauders were a mysterious and that she would probably benefit from not asking. However…

"Remus?" Lily watched as amber eyes met his.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you know where we're going?"

Remus glanced down at Paddy before returning his gaze to her. "Yes, I am pretty sure."

"Why has it been taking just about forever, then?"

"Erm…"

"You're not actually sure where we're going, do you? Neither does Paddy." Remus hesitated before shaking his head sadly. "Then where the hell have you been leading us?"

"Lily, it's not even a matter of knowing where to go. It's knowing how to get there."

"But you don't know that either."

"Maybe not directly, but I do believe that this is the right way to go."

"Right way? Remus, we've been walking in circles." And she was right. Something was interfering with their walk and they had, indeed, been walking in circles.

The wizard frowned and continued walking, following an invisible path. Paddy went with him, keeping close to his side, tongue out. This went on for a few more minutes before he stopped, dead in his tracks. "Here it is," he muttered, taking a seat on a near by rock.

"What are you doing?" she asked, walking up close to him. Peter followed her lead, looking equally as perplexed as she felt. They crouched beside Remus, who was looking very intensely at the ground. "Remus?"

"I thought so! It was definitely here."

"What are you talking about?"

Remus looked up at Lily and smiled triumphantly. "I think I just found the key to getting out of this loop."

"What?"

"See?" said Remus, standing up. He pointed to the ground and looked back at lily, grinning widely.

"I don't really..."

"Wait for it," at this, Remus slips his hand in Lily's and all of a sudden the Forest grounds are no longer barren. They have their sheen, but this time, she sees a faint silver trail that goes through the Forest, winding through the trees as if it has a mind of its own.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that when the Patronus exploded in front of me, I've been able to see this," he gestured to the silver line, "And we've been following it."

"And you think this leads us to James?"

"Of course. I think we have an ally on our side. We must have one. I mean, right after we saw the Death Eaters, we get the Patronus and this trail. It's a _sign_, Lily."

"But it's not accurate. It's making us loop."

"That is where you're wrong. See the trail?" she nodded, "now look over to the continuation over there," Lily did and was shocked at the difference. The line nearer to them seemed faded and thin, whereas the continuation pulsed bright and clear. "See the difference?"

"Why is it like that?"

"It's because of this area, Lily. Try to touch this segment of the line." She did. Her hand passed right through it. "Perfect. There is a disturbance in this area. (**A.N:****when****I****wrote****that****line,****the****first****thing****I****thought****of****was**** "****There****is****a****disturbance****in****the****force****" ****XD****I****love****Star****Wars,****guys.****I****'****m****weird****that****way)** It's affecting the magic in this area."

"Like a broadcasting station!" Remus gave her an odd look, "No, I meant that with a broadcasting station, they send out multiple signals. Each signal takes up a particular station or place on the radio. If another signal is being broadcasted over the first one, then the first signal has been weakened." She was just given blank looks, "Never mind."

"Right... so, anyway, the magical interference seems to be affecting this specific part, which means that..." Remus let go of Lily's hand and the scene was gone. Remus pulled out his wand and waved it over the line. "_Aparecium.__" _He said and they waited patiently.

"Well?"

"See for yourself," Remus took her hand again and Lily could see the line again. Only, this time, the silver was as bright as it had been like in the continuation line, only it swerved off and went in a new direction.

"Looks like we have a new place to go."

"I agree."

"What's happening? What's going on?" Remus and Lily glanced over at Peter, whose figure was shaking slightly from the cold.

"Put your hand on Paddy's back and see for yourself."

"But why would I-" Peter did as he was told, "Oh."

"Oh is right." Remus tugged Lily with him and followed this new trail. They followed silently for a while before Lily made a small complaint about the temperature. "Here..." Remus tapped her shoulder and whispered, "_Tepidium_," Lily felt her whole body get warmer and she sighed with relief.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. James taught it to me."

"James..." his name still brought pangs to her heart. Remus used the same spell on Peter before coming back and guiding Lily along the path.

Suddenly the cold was back and Lily let out a gasp. "What is _that_?" said Peter in awe. Lily was too struck by the sheer size of the thing to say anything.

It was huge. The thing that stood before them seemed like the home of a giant. It had a large rounded roof and thick doors. Lily noted some small windows at the side, and, as if on cue, there was a flash of light from one of the windows. "Um, guys?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you just see...I mean, I might just be imagining it but-"

"But?"

"I think there's someone in there." They all exchanged glances, and, all at once, they drew their wands. Lily let go of Remus' hand and pulled out her won wand, clutching it tightly.

"We are going in, agreed?" asked Remus, voice low but strong.

"Yes."

"And we're going to survive this?"

"Yes."

"And we're getting James out?"

"YES."

"Then let's do this."

*M*A*G*I*C*

Sirius had been instructed to wait outside as Lily, Remus and Peter went in. However, he had been instructed to do so as Paddy. He quickly transformed and praised the Lord that Remus had left the bag out. He quickly changed and, drawing his wand as well, slipped through the doors and disappeared into the dark rooms within.

* * *

"I really think you should go to sleep."

"But-"

"No, buts, James. Just sleep."

"But if they're here..." Raven and company heard a creak and froze where they were.

"Um, James, I don't think 'if' is even an option now. They _are _here. Right now. And we're going to have to fight them."

"But Volde-"

"Stay safe, James Potter," said Raven, adjusting his glasses and tapping his temples three times with her wand, "And sweet dreams."

"I don't underst-" but James couldn't speak anymore. A huge rush of tiredness engulfed him and he felt himself being pulled into the darkness.

"No...don't...wai-"

He was gone.

Raven stood, shaking off the little bits of guilt that she felt. "Will he be fine?"

"He will survive. The spell will last up to 10 hours. It may short out early, though."

"And we're still fighting this battle?"

Raven slipped her hand into Secret's and gave it a squeeze, "We will always fight this battle. For Dumbledore."

"For Dumbledore." The words were echoed around the room by the Death Eaters that were on _his_ side. Dumbledore's side.

"Let the madness begin."

* * *

**bai bai **

**please R&R guys**

**seriously, it makes my day [:**

**thanks for reading**


	30. Chapter 30: Surprising

**i**

**back! yes, this is the chapter number 30. A big number, i know. i'm still surprised i made it so long. a thank you to jacqueline, again, please leave me alone at school , a thanks to cardoso (i hope you're reading. love you) and a thank you to my Moonshine, because you were my inspiration for this whole mess.**

**thank you to Maryandmerlin, weasleytwins12, and the smartoneisodd(love you, buddy). Also, thank you thank you thank you XritaskeeterhatersX. Your continuous reviews really made my day and it always encouraged me to write more. Yes, it was one word, but the fact that you read it all the way through meant a lot to me. So thank you again.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The house was dark and scary. As they were now inside, the trio could see that it wasn't a giant cave, but instead a house in the guise of a cave. It had looked so huge because of the many floors on the inside. There was a huge staircase that spiralled up in the cave, giving the impression that the floors were as spacious as the first. Lily held her wand up, her spell giving light to their path. Remus and Peter stood with her, creeping down the hallway.

The house that they were in resembled the Shrieking Shack very much. The problem was that this was not the Shrieking Shack. It was an abandoned house that, they assumed, was much less abandoned than it used to be. The halls weren't carpeted, showing only the old, wooden floors. The walls themselves seemed to be made of stone with the wallpaper, if there had been any, had been peeled off.

Lily kept a hand on the wall as she made her way through the halls, wand poised in front of her. She had a feeling that this wouldn't end well, that the house they were in held a terrible force that shouldn't be reckoned with. However, she couldn't afford to turn back now. She couldn't abandon one of her only leads to finding James; especially after discovering her feelings for him. She was still somewhat surprised that she had fallen in love with him the first place. She was more surprised that she was taking such desperate measures to secure James. Usually she would have just brushed off his absences but this had obviously been different.

"Lily," she turned slowly at the sound of her name and looked at Remus, "Should we check the different floors?"

She nodded and the three Gryffindors split up, each one more nervous than the next. Lily scanned the entire bottom floor with no luck. She had even tried a summoning spell, but she'd known before hand that it wasn't going to work.

They regrouped not too many moments later, each of them coming up empty. "I don't understand," she said, voice quavering, "I was sure that I saw I light here."

"I think someone is here still, Lily, it's just a matter of finding them." Remus waved his wand, "Did you notice any doors that couldn't be opened normally?"

"Well, there was this one…" she said hesitantly. She wasn't totally sure if this piece of information needed to be told.

"Every clue helps, Lily," said Remus gently, eyes shifting slightly. He looked nervous, and Lily couldn't help but agree with him.

"Well, I thought that, perhaps…I mean, I can't be sure..."

"Lily, stop acting like Peter and speak clearly, would you?" All three of them jumped at this familiar voice. Lily glanced around warily.

"Sirius…" Remus' voice was one of warning.

"I'm right here." At this, Lily's eyes were stuck with light, and Sirius Black's figure became clearer.

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought that…how did you…?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're surprised that someone as amazing as myself would deign to appear in such a dingy place. Well, not to worry. This takes not away from my charm."

"Shut up, Sirius," grumbled Remus, straightening, "We're trying to find James, not date your best friend's girl."

"HEY!" cried Lily, colouring at his words. Sirius, however, grinned widely and ruffled Remus' hair.

"Aww, let it be, Moony, I was just trying to lighten the mood."

"Well, stop, it's annoying all of us. And look," he pointed his wand downwards so they could see Peter's frightened figure, "You've nearly scared Wormtail half to death."

"I'll be…*huff*…alright…*huff*…"

"Maybe you should stay here and rest a bit, Wormtail, you don't look so good." Peter nodded vigorously and slid to the ground.

Sirius rolled his eyes and lit up his wand, "Well, let's get going, shall we?"

They nodded and Lily led them to a small door. It was very well situated, as someone who knew not where it was, couldn't easily find it. It seemed to be inserted against the back of the staircase, leading to a possible basement area. It seemed like a very Muggle-like thing because normal magical houses weren't always set with a basement.

"It's over here," she said, lighting up the frame with her wand, "I'm not sure why, but every time I came here I got the chills. I didn't really try to open it, but I felt that I didn't need to. It isn't a very Gryffindor like trait but I was too nervous to open the door."

"Hmm…" Sirius went up to the door and placed his hand on it, ignoring Remus' warning. Lily watched in fascination and Sirius leaned in and tapped the door three times. All at once, she heard a click, and the door creaked open.

"How did you…"

"It's no big deal," said Sirius, quickly stuffing his hand in his pocket, "I don't need your thanks. Let's just go."

Lily walked towards the entrance before being stopped by Sirius' hand, "what?"

"When I said, let's go, I meant that I'd go first."

"Wha-"

"I mean, there is no way I'd let a girl do a man's job."

"A man's job?" Lily's flushed angrily.

"Guys, I really don't think this is the best time..." started Remus, his voice hushed.

"Remus is right, Black, we shouldn't start this up now," said Lily, pulling out of Sirius' grip. He glared but she walked on, unfazed. Their whispered fight seemed to dull the lights on their wands and they renewed the spell. With that, Lily walked down through the threshold of the basement door, and nervously took steps down the stairs.

She could hear a light muttering sound behind her but she ignored it. Sirius was probably just trying to-

**BANG!**

Lily crouched immediately and clutched the railing for support. Something the colour of fire had just managed to flash by her. She held her arm and hissed in pain. It had managed to cut through the blue fabric and sear her skin. The fireball kept coming, one after another and Lily was forced to move further down the stairs as they had caught fire.

She pressed herself to the walls, glad that there was a slab of rock shielding her from view. Her eyes flew to the stairs as she saw Remus, Sirius and Peter hurrying down the staircase as well, dodging the shots as they came. One of them managed to hit Peter and the boy came tumbling down the stairs with a loud cry.

Sirius scowled angrily and grabbed the boy's shirt, lugging him towards the shield-like slab of rock. They hid there, safe from the multiple spells that threatened their lives. This continued for a while, but slowly, they stopped. It was quiet, and, as the dust settled, Lily could see the deep indents in the wall. She heard a moan and quickly turned her attention to Peter, who was groaning in the corner. Remus and Sirius had already begun a healing process including various spells that reduced the pain he was in. He thanked them weakly, but not before making sure they were careful.

With the three boys working together, Lily could only feel somewhat left out. She wasn't part of their group. She was…

"You think they're dead yet?" Lily froze. What did they just-?

"Takes a lot more than that, mate" the more the dust settled, the closer Lily came to realizing that they would notice the absence of their bodies. She peeked carefully over the edge, and almost gasped at the number of people standing there.

"Nine," she breathed to her companions, "We have to fight nine of them."

Sirius cursed silently while Remus continued to work on Peter. He had almost finished when they heard, "There's nobody there."

"You don't think they escaped, do you?" asked a female Death Eater.

"Nah, the door's enchanted. They have to be down here."

Remus tapped Lily shoulder and mouthed words to her. (**A.N.: ****Yes, ****they ****could ****have ****used ****a ****silencing ****charm ****but ****it****'****s ****late ****and ****I ****wanna ****go ****to ****bed.****You ****can ****pretend ****a ****silencing ****charm ****is ****on ****if ****it ****makes ****you ****feel ****better.**) "_You __take __three, __I__'__ll __take __three, __Sirius __will __take __three. __Peter __will __try __to __attack __from __here __as __a __make__shift __sniper,_" Lily and Sirius nodded, clutching their wands tightly. Lily felt her heart float to her throat, filling her with mixed emotions; fear, anticipation, but most of all hope. Hope that James would be the prize she would win at the end of the battle.

The trio carefully manoeuvred themselves, and, at the count of three, launched into action. They sent multiple spells towards their enemies, shooting with killer precision. They had the element of surprise, but it didn't last long. The Death Eaters quickly regained their strength and fought back with equal, if not more, intensity. Lily had managed to take out one of her opponents and was now busy parrying the blows of two others. Sirius was having a hard time dealing with the three he worked with, but was making it through on his own. Remus, on the other hand, was doing the best out of the three. He was down to his last Death Eater, the two of them sending spells at an amazing rate.

Lily used the Full Body-Bind Curse , effectively immobilizing her enemy. The final Death Eater, obviously the better of the three, seemed to hold his ground well, completely focussed on the battle before Remus' Death Eater went down. It was the second before the spell, she realized. Between all the blows, Remus' opponent had managed to out duel him and would have delivered the final blow, but Lily had seen Remus' lips move and, just like that, the second she hesitated, he'd struck.

Lily's opponent was distracted by the fall of this Death Eater and she took that opportunity to wound him. She didn't use killing curses. Just simples ones like the Knock-Back Jinx she had used. Sirius was finishing off his last one when all of a sudden there was a dark rush of cold air.

The light that filtered through the basement window was suddenly muted by this air and it suddenly got a lot darker. The trio moved to stand together, wands out as the air gathered in front of them. The air suddenly became visible, and the trio watched as the black wisps melded together to form the figure that they feared most. In fact, the wisps took the shape of the figure that had scared half the Wizarding World and was working on killing half of the other.

Lord Voldemort had arrived.

*M*A*G*I*C*

He was frightening to even look at, and it was all Lily could do not to scream and run. He was tall, with a dark cloak and bright red eyes. He didn't even look human. And when he spoke, it sent shivers down her spine. She doubted she'd ever been so afraid of anything in her life.

"Why, what do we have here? Three Hogwarts student looking for trouble?"

Lily's eyes were wide, hands shaking, but she refused to allow him to get to her.

"W-we-"

"Hmm? What do you want to say, little girl, don't test my patience."

Lily froze when his eyes came upon him and she felt the stifling urge to crumple up and cry.

"W-" she tried again, but Sirius intervened.

"We're looking for a friend of ours. James Potter."

"Careful," murmured Remus, but Sirius pressed on.

"You have him and we'd appreciate it if you could return him."

Voldemort looked at Sirius and laughed loudly, "A Black, I presume? Yes, you do look like your mother, but much louder than her. Oh yes, you'd have to be a Black. No one else could say such senseless words and think they mean the utmost sense."

Sirius gripped his wand tighter and Remus muttered words to him, trying to calm him she presumed.

"And you've wiped out 9 of my Death Eaters with out blinking an eye. How…how very Gryffindor of you," he sneered, drawing his own wand as well. Almost instantly, the three students took a step back, arms poised and ready to attack if necessary. "Oh, and the dogs don't just bark, they bite," his sneer was cruel and teasing. He was withholding information; Lily knew that much, but what it was she didn't know. "Well, I think that you've fought quite valiantly. In fact, I feel like you are in need of...well, let's just say you're in need of a little reward. What do you say?"

"We just want James. That is all we ask," said Remus flatly, wand still up.

"Potter? Oh, you can have him. I have a feeling that I will be seeing him again." Voldemort flicked his wand and suddenly, a struggling body could be seen floating towards them.

Lily lowered her wand and lunged for it. "James," she cried, hand outstretched, but Sirius had held her back, arms around her waist to restrain her .

"Calm down, Evans," he hissed in her ear, and Lily remembered their situation. She instantly calmed herself, thanking him quietly.

"Black is quite right, young lady, if you can consider yourself such. Surely a Mudblood such as yourself can understand my animosity?" Voldemort smiled and Lily felt another shiver go through her. To face the Dark Lord, to be in his presence...it was terrifying. "Potter here has been doing me a great service, haven't you?"

"Lemme go," he growled and Lily felt her heart beat quicken. He still sounded like the old James. And, for the most part, he looked the same as well. He didn't seem to have been tortured, but such scars were often mental and not physical.

"Ah, you wish to be with your friends. Touching, to say the least, but they will weigh you down. Burden you with their "lack of skill," he glanced at Lily as he said this, making her blood boil.

She grimaced, shaking Sirius off.

"Give him back," she said as confidently as she could. James gave her a look; a mix between surprise and fear.

"Oh, you will get him back, but not before I give you another present. After all, the people you see here were very...let's just say, reckless. Besides, I will be taking these two with me." With another wave, James was thrown into Sirius, who fell from the force of the throw. Lord Voldemort just laughed and, with another flick of his wand, two Death Eaters drifted up from where they had been originally. Lily realized it to one of Sirius' opponents and one of Remus'. "You can take the rest back to school with you. They don't know enough to cause vital damage, but these two," he gestured to the Death Eaters that floated unconscious in the air, "They're come with me."

"Wait, back to school? Do you mean to say that these Death Eaters are all from our school?"

"Oh course. I'm sure you'd recognize a few of them," Voldemort pointed towards the Death Eaters one by one, identifying the bodies as he went by them. When he said their names, the pale masks they wore dissipated and their faces became visible. "Claire Price," another one, "Zachery Crabbe," another one, "Henry Johnson" another one, "Paul McNair," another one, "Tristan Scoresbury," another one, "Julian Goyle" another "and Sophia Pellington." Lily stared at each one. She remembered them all from school; some from Slytherin, others Ravenclaw. They were all familiar to her.

James, at this point, had gotten up and was being supported by Sirius.

"I'm surprised," said Remus quietly, and Voldemort cocked his head to the side, seeming curious.

"Surprised? At what, werewolf?"

"You haven't tried to kill us yet. Why not?"

"I'll get my chance," he said, grinning, "Besides, you needed an effective distraction."

"Distraction?" All of a sudden there was a deep rumble and the ground beneath Lily began to shake and tremble.

"Yes, well, good-bye," Voldemort turned on his heel and he began to disappear, along with the two Death Eaters.

"Wait-" called James, "You can't take her!"

"Her? Oh you mean my faithful servant," Voldmort reached out with a slightly transparent hand and stroked the Death Eater's cheek. "Oh, you wouldn't want her. Especially after all the damage this one's caused."

"Wha-"

"Who is she?" Remus' voice was loud over the falling bits of stone.

"You want to know? Remus Lupin, it would _kill_ you to know."

"Who is she?" he repeated, wand still raised.

"You asked for it," Voldemort waved his hand, only his hand, over the mask and the face that was revealed shocked them all.

"Merlin's beard," he breathed, "It's -" and the roof of the basement caved in.

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**i like cliffhangers, don't you?**

**plz R&R [:**


	31. Chapter 31: Dying

**All righty. So this chapter is for my friends marta and Albus. you guess helped make this chapter possible 3 [WARNING: Beware some hard core scamming]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

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"I can't believe i**t**." Sirius was pacing back and forth, frustrated with the new knowledge he had been given hours ago.

"Calm down, Sirius," said Lily. He turned to face her, eyes blazing. She was sitting beside James' bed, holding his hand like it brought her comfort. They were in the infirmary. When the basement started to crumble, James, Lily, Remus and Sirius used what magic they could muster and escaped with the Death Eaters. Sirius had been against bringing them, but James insisted, saying that it would be inhuman to leave them.

James himself had landed up getting knocked out by a piece of falling rock while saving a Death Eater so Sirius wasn't exactly happy about helping them.

"Calm down? How could I calm down? That lying bitch..."

"Sirius-" started Lily but he pressed on.

"She was there the entire time, and she just...she was the enemy this entire time and we never knew. We trusted her. Bi-"

"That's enough, Sirius," said Lily sharply, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "We don't have time for-"

"Oh my God!" Sirius and Lily jumped while Remus just sat up rigid in his bed.

"Cassandra, what's wrong?"

"It's Snape," Cassandra's eyes were wide with fear, "He's dead."

"What?"

Lily let go of James' hand in that instant and rushed over to her friend, "Are you serious?"

"Come see. It's awful." They rushed out of the Hospital Wing, afraid of the scene they were about to witness. Cassandra led them down a flight of sta**i**r**s** to the dungeons, where, lying in a pool of his own **b**lood, lay Snape, dark eyes blank and staring at the ceiling. Lily dropped to her eyes at the sight and let o**ut** a strangled sob. Sirius was frozen. How could this happen? A murder...one of their own students.

"Who did this?" he said, voice low and filled, slowly with fear. "Who did this?" he looked around at the crowd of people, each one equally frightened and perplexed by the scene before them.

"Did anyone see the spell used to kill Severus Sn**a**pe?" asked Remus to the crowd, receiving blank stares everywhere.

"Remus," Remus and Sirius looked down at Lily, who was now staring up at them, green eyes filled with **t**ears , "this isn't a spell. Someone stabbed him. They cut his throat to kill him," her words reeked of fear and confusion. Suddenly, the crowds parted, **r**evealing Albus Dumbledore in all his white haired glory.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, voice carefully controlled.

"We're not sure, sir," said Sirius, straightening, "he was like this when we got here."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, yes I've seen th**i**s work done before."

"Work, sir?"

"This is the work of the **C**urtain, Mr Black. Often referred to as the Ghost of Death. He is one of the most wanted men in the Wizarding World. Everyone is on the lookout for him. He's eluded capture multiple times and now our worst fears have been realized. He has made his way into the school, and he won't stop until we are all dead." He gulped and noticed many other students wearing the same loo**k** of fear and worry, "Go back to your Houses. All of you. Lock your dormitories and let no one in until I give the signal."

"What will the signal be?"

"You will know when you hear it. Now go, quickly. He's in the castle as we speak. Nowhere is safe." Sirius grabbed Lily's arms and hauled her up, Remus taking her other side.

"Let's **go**, Lily," he said, moving towards the stairs. They hadn't gotten far when she pulled out of their grasp, her face showing open fear.

"We have to go** to** **the** Hospital Wing."

"What?"

"James! There are other people there and we can't just let Madame Rosetta alone without telling her what to protect herself from."

"Alright, I'll go back. You and Remus head to Gryffi**n**dor Tower."

"No way. W**e **can't be separated. It's not safe alone."

"We're not any safer if we were together, Evans."

"Let me stay with you. Just in case something happen." Sirius gave in to her eyes, as he knew they held real concern for James well being.

However, when they got to the Hospital Wing, James well-being was something of the past. A distant memory.

For all the patients were dead.

*M*A*G*I*C*

The scream of Lily Evans that night was indescribable. It was one of fear and pain and horror all at once. Sirius couldn't bear to look at her as she cried beside James' bed. Sirius himself refused to cry, for he knew that James would want him to be strong and take care of Lily in his absence. He'd always wanted that.

Remus, who stood beside Sirius, was busy scrubbing the tears off his face, his broken sobs filling the small space inside the Hospital Wing. It was a tragedy of mass proportions. He had just gotten his best friend back, only to have him taken away without any e**x**planation. Now, he would never have a chance to find out what truly happened, or how his kidnapping happened in the firs**t** place.

Eventually, Sirius pulled Lily off James, the former still **c**rying her eyes out, the latter dead and a doornail. He and Remus led her out of the room, still awestruck by the people within. How could so many people have died in such a short period of time? **H**ow could **a**nyone kill without the use of magic so fast? However, Sirius knew that wasn't entirely true. To move that fast, you'd have to have been using charms. And to kill? Multi**p**le weapons. The wounds on James and Snape were identical in the way **t**hat they were caused by a knife or a sword of sorts.

Sirius felt a real bone chilling fear consum**e** him now. If James could be killed, who was to say that **R**emus himself, or even Lily would be next? He hurried them down the hall and through the staircases, both o**f** which were filled with students scrambling to get to their d**or**mitories. Sirius had never remembered seeing such chaos before and it was incredibly unsettling.

He stee**r**ed his friend to the correct portrait, whispered their password, and clambered inside, shutting the door tight behind him. The Common Room was still bright from the fireplace, but Sirius knew it held no safety. Not with the killer on the loose. He kept a hand on Remus and Lily at all times, careful not to let them out of his sight.

Funny thing was?

He was on**e** of the last to go.

*M*A*G*I*C*

The Hogw**a**rts Massacre made the Dai**l**y Prophet's front page. The **number** of students killed are too high to put down in the article, but roughly 100 died. Others were injured. Many were scarred for life. Among those that live, they are still in critical condition and The Daily Prophet vowed to be the first ones to notify people when those students have been deemed 'good' enough to go when they leave St Mungos.

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**i bet you're like, wtf? everyone died? what a load of crap? well suck it up. **

**if u have a complaint tell me. if you want t0 know why, i won't tell you.**

**(ps, check all the bolds. once u have them, put the number 31 at the end. review/messege me when u get it. Happy Halloween)**


	32. Chapter 32: Confronting

**Hi. Yes, I am sorry that i killed off random people, but don't worry. I'm redoing that chapter to make it actually fit the story. I need help O.O**

**moving on, thank you for supporting my story as it is now the 31st REAL chapter. thank god. i've been having writer's block for the last 2 days and it as been crap, let me tell you.**

**I'd like to thank kay kkkay, GriffinRose, and Rennlove. Thanks for you support. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"I can't believe it." Sirius was pacing back and forth, frustrated with the new knowledge he had been given hours ago.

"Calm down, Sirius," said Lily. He turned to face her, eyes blazing. She was sitting beside James' bed, holding his hand like it brought her comfort. They were in the infirmary. When the basement started to crumble, James, Lily, Remus and Sirius used what magic they could muster and escaped with the Death Eaters. Sirius had been against bringing them, but James insisted, saying that it would be inhuman to leave them.

James himself had landed up getting knocked out by a piece of falling rock while saving a Death Eater so Sirius wasn't exactly happy about helping them.

"Calm down? How could I calm down? That lying bitch..."

"Sirius-" started Lily but he pressed on.

"She was there the entire time, and she just...she was the _enemy_ this entire time and we never knew. We trusted her. Bi-"

"That's enough, Sirius," said Lily sharply, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Know what, Evans? I don't think it's enough. It'll never really be enough because, guess what, she's a lying bitch with no self respect."

"Sirius, I said to quit it. We understand how you feel so you don't have to broadcast it to the world." Her cold voice cut through Sirius and he understood what she was trying to say. He glanced over at Remus who, at the moment, was staring up at the ceiling of the infirmary, amber eyes wide with disbelief. Tiffany's betrayal had affected Remus worst of all. He was in a state of disbelief, seemingly incurable with the information he had been given.

He walked over to his friend and sat on the chair nearest to him. "Moony?" he whispered, voice hushed. He didn't expect Remus to answer him. The boy had ignored all things directed at him since they managed to get back to Hogwarts. "Moony, you alright?"

"How could I be alright?" he said, voice shaky, "How can I ever be alright?" his eyes flicked to Sirius' and caught him by surprise, "I can't do this anymore, Padfoot, I just can't."

"Moony," he said softly, voice showing obvious confusion and worry.

"Just leave me out of it all, Padfoot, I can't deal with it." Sirius reached out his hand to touch his friend's shoulder and he flinched, rolling quickly to his side, turning his back on him.

Sirius gave a sigh of resignation and stood, leaving his friend alone. It was night now. Somehow, they had searched for James all day and night had found them. He moved over to Lily, who was double checking James' temperature. "He'll be alright, yeah?"

"Madame Rosetta said that she'd be fine. I asked Poppy, the girl that was in Ravenclaw that fancies magical maladies, to come up here and double check him."

"Shouldn't you just ask Madame Rosetta?"

"She hates the fact that you and me are here, especially since the other 10 people are injured and unconscious. I didn't want to give her a reason to kick us out."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Sirius scratched the back of his head and looked at the other hospital beds. One whole wall in the Hospital Wing had been used to treat those that came back from James' excursion. Several Death Eaters, along with Remus, James, and Peter lay in those beds, bloodied and bruised from the cave in at the house. Madame Rosetta asked many questions but her niece, Poppy, didn't. She had been in the Hospital Wing when they'd arrived and set straight to work on healing them. Poppy was effective, if anything, and didn't try to pry. She'd asked them what had happened, but when she saw that the details had to be started out, she ignored them. So far, this had been working for them.

"I still can't really believe it, you know," said Lily quietly. Her voice was hushed for a reason; they didn't want Remus worked up. He had been through so much, and now there was a betrayal.

"Yeah, well, I can't believe it either. I thought she was perfect for him. I thought-" he cut off, eyes downcast. He didn't need to voice what they both thought. They'd thought Tiffany was in love with him. "Never mind. I suppose the lying-"

"Hello?" Lily and Sirius looked towards the large wooden doors and saw Poppy Pomfry had arrived. She had graduated Hogwarts in their 1st year and had come back to work with her aunt at Hogwarts. She wanted to be a nurse, they knew, and so working in the Hogwarts Infirmary was prefect practice.

"Poppy," started Lily, as the girl walked towards them, "I'm so glad you're here."

"You said it was an emergency and now I know why," she surveyed the numerous beds, taking off her coat and hanging in on a nearby hanger, "It's crazy in here. How the hell did it happen?" She walked around the room, checking patients as Sirius and Lily took turns retelling the story, going over how the house/cave had collapsed in on them. However, they told Poppy a detail that they hadn't told her aunt. When they had gone through the basement door, it managed to teleport them a hall away from the Hospital Wing. It was incredibly profound, but with so many injured students, they had found it in their best interest to skim over that detail.

"Interesting...the door was enchanted..."

"Enchanted?"

"The door in question was enchanted, almost like a Portkey, with intentions to teleport you immediately into Hogwarts. However cast the spell knew that what happened in the basement was going to need to have medical treatment. It's interesting how your enemies would have such a door, don't you think?"

"We never really thought of it that way before," said Lily, eyes glancing down at James. Sirius folded his arms across his chest, thoughtful. Why _would_ they have such a door? Surely, they were expecting them, but there were more Death Eaters than invaders. They wouldn't exactly have wanted their enemies to come out alive, would they?

"And the news about Tiffany was a surprise as well," said Poppy off-handily, not realizing the weight of her words, "She was such a wonderful child, very good with books and enchantments. Who would have thought-"

"Yeah, Poppy, we're all surprised," they all looked over at Remus' bed.

"Remus, I didn't know you were up," she said. She had just finished checking the wounds of the Death Eaters and had moved to James.

"Yes, well, I am. And you're right. She was a wonderful person. But that's the key word, see? She _was_."

"I suppose. Now, she's just a traitor, isn't that right? A lying, traitorous, scheming woman with no real sense of the world. She hurt you and lied to you, ignoring your needs and not caring at all about your feelings. She-"

"Enough." Remus' voice held a high degree of frustration and grief.

"You're standing up for her?" asked Poppy, eyes calculating. Sirius was surprised at Poppy's bravery to pursue this topic with his friend, but a part of him wondered what Remus thought. Did the werewolf believe the truth? Or did he cling to the hope image he had before he'd found out this horrible truth.

"I'm not standing up for her, I just-"

"I should think that after all of you've been through that you would hate her. After all, she hid James' location from you, did she not? Withheld the information that would have helped you save your friend without this mess?"

"I do hate her. I really do, but-"

"But? But what?"

"I-"

"Do you love her that much?" she asked quietly.

Sirius watched his friend's face freeze, his amber eyes grow empty. "I-"

"Because love only takes you so far." Sirius remembered that Poppy's fiancé had left her at the altar. She was right in what she said, though. "You need to face the facts, Remus. Tiffany isn't the girl you thought you knew, is she?"

Remus stared at the floor, eyes unseeing the tiles. And then, he lay back down, arm covering his face. "You're right."

"Excuse me?" Sirius' eyes flashed to Poppy's face, which was confused and surprised.

"I said, you're right. I do hate her. And I hate that-" his voice trialled off.

"Hate that?"

"I hate that I care so much. I just want to forget about her. About everything that happened."

Poppy gave a sad smile and continued examining James' body. Sirius still found it hard to look at his friend, but he had to face that fear. James had bandages all across his chest and midsection. Poppy said that it'd take a good 24 hours for him to recover and that they should all get some rest. The conscious members in the room agreed and set off to a sleeping plan. Remus lay in his bed, presumed asleep; Lily lay her head on James' hand, using it as a makeshift pillow, and Sirius, well, he continued to pace.

It was late; the skies pitch black from the lack of moonlight, and Sirius felt the weight of the day impend on him. He had started this adventure, and now it was over. James was back safe and sound; the divine order had been restored. There was no real downside beside the fact that Tiffany was a Death Eater that worked for Voldemort. The Death Eaters that lay on the cots beside him would be dealt with in the morning, he decided, before drifting off to sleep whilst sitting in a near-by chair.

And the sleep would have taken up most of his night if he had not heard the whispers.

*M*A*G*I*C*

Angel's footsteps were light upon the cold stone floors of the Hospital Wing. She had slipped through the doors and rushed down the aisle, eyes fixed on one person in particular. "Henry," she hissed, her voice echoing in the room. She immediately lowered her voice and tried again, "Henry?"

There was movement in one of the beds, and Angel hurried to that bed, eyes raking over the person laying in it. He had black hair from the looks of it; quite a contrast to her stark white-blonde hair. His name, a privilege to know, was Henry Johnson, and the boy she had been looking for.

"Henry," she called again, "Are you awake?" She touched his arm gently, and all of a sudden, she had the tip of his wand touching the hollow between her collarbone. She took a sharp breath, and calmed her breathing, "Wand away, Secret, it's just me."

"Oh, Angel, it's just you," he removed his wand, breathing in deeply, "Angel!" his dark eyes widened and he sat up quickly, "Angel, what are you doing here?"

"I just got word from Dumbledore that you just got your asses handed to you on a silver platter," Angel gave a short laugh, "I came right here when I heard about it. What the hell happened?"

"We did just as Raven asked. You know, fight, but not fight well? It worked and we were beaten just as we planned, but-" Henry paused, "_He_ came."

"He?"

"He-who-must-not-be-named," Henry pulled his legs up and leaned in closer to Angel, "He came and took Tiffany and Cain with him."

"Merlin's beard," gasped Angel, "He took Raven and Knight! Do we know where he'd taken them?"

"I've got an idea, but I can't really move," he gestured down to his leg, "It's broken, see?"

Angel's eyes softened, "And this, Secret, is why we are with-"

"Stop where you are." Angel froze again, she recognized that voice. She turned slowly, the person becoming visible.

"Sirius Black," she said, voice soft, "Awake so soon?" her voice held some of the accent she had retained in Canada. Despite going to London, Angel had managed to stay true to her Canadian roots.

"Back away from your friend, Death Eater," Angel sneered at him and shifted away from Henry, who still looked incredibly perplexed at the situation, "Now, who the hell are you and why are you here?"

Angel felt a rush of anger but quickly calmed it. Sirius had a right to be angry. "What difference does it make who I am?"

"What difference? I can hear you and your boyfriend whispering to each other about Voldemort and crap like that. So spit it out. You were the ones responsible to kidnapping James, no?"

Angel's eyes shifted to Henry's, who was still confused. "Excuse me, but why are you talking to Angel in such a manner? She didn't do anything wrong." His voice was one that Angel was familiar with; a voice he used when trying to talk his way out of something.

"Like hell she didn't. I know you and your girlfriend were Death Eaters under Voldemort's command and that you captured James." Even though he said it, Angel could sense that, with them so close, he felt uneasy with the statement.

Angel twitched, "Listen here, Black. Henry Thompson is a wonderful wizard who is not, at all in love with me. I should know. I'm his cousin." Sirius mouthed the word, _Oh_, but Angel carried on, "And you can think whatever you want about us."

"You saying I'm wrong then?"

"I'm not saying you're anything. But you should really look into the facts before you start tossing words," she turned to Henry, "I'm sorry for this, Secret. Note and I are going to try and contact Raven to make sure she's still alive."

"Raven?"

"Yeah. Raven. Our leader? Known to you by the name Tiffany."

"So, Tiffany is the Death Eater's leaders'?"

"He's an idiot," mutter Angel, running a hand through her hair. "I'll talk to you later, Henry."

"Night, Angel," he said, leaning back into his pillows. He gave Sirius a look, one that mimicked his cousin's quite well, "Bugger off, Black."

Sirius lowered his wand, the seriousness **(A.N:****Punny, ****huh?)** gone from his face, "Not fair. You make me interested and then blow me off?"

"You wouldn't underst-" started Angel, but Sirius cut her off.

"Then tell me. Help me understand." Sirius moved towards them, slipping his wand into his pocket, "Who is Tiffany really? Who are you? What are you?"

Angel gave Henry a look; a look that asked him if revealing the truth to Sirius Black would help them save Knight and Raven. The look she received was one she should have anticipated.

"Take a seat, Sirius Black, this is going to be one long story. It starts with Tiffany. And it ends with James."

*M*A*G*I*C*

Tiffany's hands wear sore from the manacles around her wrist. She moved around, uncomfortable with her position. She had been there a few hours, and the wait was agonizing. She wished he would just finish her off.

She took a deep breath as her companion exhaled painfully. Cain Donovan, a Hufflepuff by nature, hung next to her, having his share of the nightmare Voldemort had concocted for him. No doubt Claire was dying in it. His girlfriend of three years had been his most precious thing, and the spell was meant to take that away. Or, at least, appear to have taken that away.

Tiffany, however, had been offered another kind of nightmare, one that hadn't made her feel any better. Voldemort had offered her a glimpse of Remus Lupin, the boy she had been secretly in love with since third year, and the vision had proved heart-breaking. Seeing and hearing the words, "I hate her" formed on his kind mouth was hard to witness.

Her heart still ached for Remus. If he knew the truth, then perhaps...perhaps he wouldn't have said that he hated her and that he wanted to forget all about her. Perhaps they could get to know each other better. Perhaps...

"Well, well, well, look who just woke up," Tiffany froze, "Come now, my dear, is that anyway to act around you master? Won't you say hello?" her eyes stayed glued to the ground. His shadow fell over her and soon she could see him in front of her, his sandaled feet by her own. "I asked you a question."

Tiffany felt a searing pain go through her body, one that forced a gasp of pain from her lips.

"I said, won't you say hello?"

"No." Another burning pain. She bit her tongue, forcing herself to hold back on the screams. Not for his satisfaction.

"In time, you will thank me for this. In time, you will regret choosing Dumbledore over me." Voldemort placed a cold hand on her chin and forced her head up, "And you _will_ tell me how much he knows."

She shook her head, steeling her resolve. She would protect Dumbledore and the school that he loved. She would protect it with her life.

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**okay, so basically, i'm still having issus but hopefully a 2000+ word chapter makes up for it. Well, happy trails [:**

**And Happy Halloween. Perhaps I'll post something that day ;)**

**Love, Padfoot's Pawprint**

**Ps. Plz R&R**


	33. Chapter 33: Telling

**Hey hi hello 3 so maybe this should have been posted early but it wasn't. It just didn't happen that way, alright? My uncle came to visit and i had a mass project to do for english (poetry in motion poster )**

**at least it's out?**

**Hope it satisfies you. **

**For AD564 and WholockMerlinPotterhead, your reviews meant so much to mee. Thank you for your support 3**

**Ps. MOONEH! CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE READING THIS!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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_The same images assaulted him; his friends disappearing, his parents dying. And then there was James, held up by the dementor that Remus identified as Lord Voldemort at this point. The wizard held his friend up, high above the lake and the thick cage fell upon Remus once more._

_A cold feeling gripped him and suddenly all the shadows were rushing towards him again, encasing him in cold blankets of air. His vision began to fade as other smaller cloaked figures, the Death Eaters, gathered to the bigger one that held James. They laughed as James struggled and wand less. One of the smaller Death Eaters looked in his direction once more, and, even though the moon was casting a shadow on their face, He could still pick out the features that made up the person he had learned to care about. _

_The person that had betrayed him._

_Tiffany's eyes, even at his distance, pleaded silently with him. He wasn't sure what she was trying to tell him or what she meant but he felt nothing but longing towards her. He knew he should be angry and upset and absolutely furious with her but in this dream, he feels longing._

_He's not altogether sure why, but he does, and through the high metal bars, he finds himself reaching out his hand to get to her, mouthing words that will never be heard. James' face is getting closer to Lord Voldemort and Tiffany says something that he can't hear. But, if he focuses, he can attempt to make out the words._

_G—Go-Good—goodb-_

_And the chance was gone._

*M*A*G*I*C*

"Moony," hissed Sirius, "Moony, wake up." He awoke with a jolt, his forehead dotted with sweat.

"Padfoot?" Sirius smiled.

"Welcome back to reality, Moony," said Sirius with a grin, "How goes the journey?"

"Fitful and incredibly confusing," he sat up and rubbed his neck, like it was aching him or something, "What's going on? What'd I miss?"

"Just a story that you won't believe." Sirius pulled Remus up and led him to a chair. It sat next to Lily's, which was situated beside James' bed. There was someone else nearby too, a blonde girl with bright golden eyes. She reminded him of an angel, with her light coloured features.

"And who is this?" he asked, taking a seat while Sirius at on the edge of James' bed.

The blonde girl gave Sirius a pointed look, "Finally, someone with manners."

"Hey!" cried Sirius while Remus just smiled lightly.

"Please excuse Sirius' behaviour, young lady, he isn't accustomed to being so polite at this hour."

The girl smiled widely and looked over at the boy who was sitting up in the bed next to James', "I like this one," she said, "I can see why Raven likes him so much."

The boy laughed, only to cough a couple of times, doubling over. The blonde girl gasped and rubbed his back comfortingly, whispering reassurances.

"It's an internal disease," said Sirius softly to Remus, "Madame Rosetta has been working on it for the last 6 weeks apparently. After our battle, it's gotten worse."

Remus strained his eyes, as the only light given was that of the long glass windows on the Hospital Wing walls. "Hold on. I know you. You're… you're Henry Johnson, the Slytherin Keeper."

"Glad you remember me, Remus," Henry said, voice soft. It was for the other patients, he thought, for the ones that were sleeping. "I assume you have some questions for me?"

"Questions?"

"Gosh, not you too," the blonde girl ran a hand through her hair, "You're just like your friend Black, here," she motioned to Sirius with her head, "Totally clueless."

"Remus is one of the smartest people in our year," said Sirius, eyes narrowed. Remus was surprised to see his friend so worked up.

"Whatever. Look, Remus was it? Henry and I are both part of the group of Death Eaters that have been charged with the kidnapping of James Potter. Your friend?" Remus felt something hot burn up inside him, fiery and vengeful that he almost gasped at it. He was upset. Terribly upset for reasons he wasn't totally sure of. All he knew was that this person, this blonde girl and Henry, both had been apart of Voldemort's troupe. Part of the group had kidnapped James.

Part of the group that had known Tiffany.

Remus felt this anger so strongly in him and, all of a sudden, he was on his feet, hands on the blonde girl's collar. A collaborative gasp was taken from all the other conscious people in the room, save the blonde and Remus. "Why?" his voice burned, "Why did you take him that night a week ago? Why did it have to be James? Did you not even think about the repercussions of kidnapping a wizard from this school? Or that serving Voldemort was a bad thing?"

Sirius moved forward and tried to pull Remus away while Henry was trying to pry his hands off the blonde but Remus had his eyes locked with hers. He wanted an answer.

As her lips parted, he felt the same nostalgic feeling he had felt in his dream and waited, hands still on the collar of her black shirt. Her gold eyes stayed fixed on his amber ones. They showed no fear or desperation; rather, they showed a steady calm and determined look that caught Remus off guard, "Are you really upset about why we took James?"

"Of course I-"

"Or are you upset that Tiffany was a part of something that you didn't know?"

Remus froze for a second and Sirius took that opportunity to yank him backwards into his chair. He recovered quickly though, his anger morphing his features into a ugly grimace, "I am not-"

"You are upset because you didn't know her as well as you thought you did, is that it?"

"I did know her. I-"

"No. You _thought_ you knew her. And she tried to let you know her too. But everyone has their secrets. You have yours. She has hers. And you're upset and tired of being lied to all the time. She didn't want to. The unbreakable vow made sure of that. Ever heard of it?" The blonde girl's eyes narrowed and she pulled her head up, casting a slight shadow on her fine features. "But you just can't believe it's true. And, if we're being realistic here, you're more upset with yourself because you never got the chance to ask her about it, let alone talk to her. Didn't you ever wonder why she was so secretive? Or why she helped you as much as she did?

"No, you didn't. And that's precisely why you're so angry. You're upset with yourself, Remus Lupin, because you couldn't see her getting more tired everyday. You didn't see that she was hiding something like this from you. And what's worse? You don't care. You're content with blaming everybody else for your own short comings and believe me, Tiffany would not be impressed."

There was a silence that filled the room again and Remus felt his whole body grow colder. His eyes stayed on the blonde girl's but his mind was elsewhere. Did he really blame everyone else? Could it be that Tiffany tried to tell him, but he never got the signs? He lowered his head into his hands. How much had he missed? How much time had he wasted?

"What's it going to be, Remus?" asked the blonde girl, "You gonna keep blaming other people? Or are you going to calm your ass down and listen to what I have to say?"

He knew all of their eyes were on him. He could feel it, the gazes of the 4 others, waiting for his response. "I'm sorry." His voice came out ragged and full of remorse, "I didn't mean it…I meant…"

The blonde girl sighed and ran a hand through her white gold locks, "Boys," she sighed, "Always the drama queens." Remus looked up at her and she gave a small smile. "I assume you're ready?" he nodded, "Excellent. Let's begin."

*M*A*G*I*C*

"All of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters are young people, people looking for power or excitement or both. Sometimes He-who-must-not-be-named goes out and recruits people directly. Other times, he sends people put to recruit people. With the right rumour, one can find him or herself at Voldemort's hiding place. It isn't exactly a place you want to be, but when you're desperate and you're clinging to the dark side, it's all you have left.

"Dumbledore knew that some of your own students, mainly Slytherins, had joined Voldemort, most of them following their parents' wishes. In a way, they were peer-pressure into it. Of course, that's no excuse for what they did. Dumbledore decided to send in some of his own students to observe Voldemort's actions, in hopes of understanding the inner workings of one of the darkest wizards known to man. Tiffany was one of those students.

"She volunteered for it really. It was a message sent out over the summer. You should all have gotten one. It looked like a piece of parchment with a riddle on it. The students that figured it out included Tiffany Tam, Claire Price, Cain Donovan, Tristan Scoresbury, Thomas Finnigan, Pricilla Hastings and, of course, Henry Johnson."

"These students were all from this school. Sophia Pellington, a half English half Chinese witch, is from Beau Batons School, and I was originally home schooled by both my parents before being requested to transfer here over the summer. Ah, but my name hasn't been said yet, has it? My name is Kayla. Kayla Manson.

"Anyway, Pricilla and I were specifically chosen for this, as Dumbledore had only sent this letter out to his own students. We couldn't figure out why. But slowly, it became clear. When I transferred here, them were all already assembled, and Dumbledore was in a briefing meeting with them. He said that it was about the Dark Lord, how his rise was incredibly dangerous for both the school and the Wizarding World. I didn't care much because, let's face it, I don't live in England, but Dumbledore had still requested my presence so I stayed. I was interested. I wasn't totally sure why, but something about the way they all stood intrigued me. They were so proud to be chosen...so ready to be a part of Dumbledore's plan.

"One of them, your Tiffany, stood out. She was one of the first to volunteer herself."

"Volunteer herself?" asked Remus. He was leaning forward, evidently intrigued by the story.

"To go straight into the base. See, we had to infiltrate Voldemort's circle if we wanted to get the upper hand. She offered herself up, knowing that she might be killed on the spot. She wasn't of course. And she reported back to Voldemort almost every day. Slowly, we wheedled our way into his circle. Cain was second, then his girlfriend, Claire, then Tristan, Pricilla, myself, Thomas, Sophia and finally Henry.

"To keep our identities hidden, we were all given code names. Cain and Tiffany were known as Knight and Raven, Knight for loyalty, and the Raven to symbolize her Ravenclaw status. Henry here was deemed Secret, because he can be very secretive at times, mysterious. Claire was called Shine, because she has blonde hair that will kill your eyes if she's out on the pitch and you stare too long. Tristan is Fox, a name he was given for being cunning and he is also one of the Ravenclaws. Pricilla is Note, as she is a genius with words, and Thomas is Ash, because he has a weird thing for fire and blowing things up, evidently turning them into a pile of ashes. Sophia was named bell for her insanely beautiful singing voice and I am named Angel."

"Why angel?"

"Because I'm anything but," she said, giving a mischievous grin, "However, my name is not to be dwelled upon. This is the main part of the story. We have all been placed in Voldemort's circle at this time. Carefully gathering information and reporting it back to Dumbledore," she paused a moment and Henry gave her a glass of water. After muttering a word of thanks, she continued, "This was all well and dandy until the Dark Lord ordered us to kidnap the Gryffindor boy, James Potter," she gestured with her head to where James lay, his hand still in Lily's. "We asked, but to no avail. It didn't work with him. He isn't the kind of person you ask questions to, you know?

"So we kidnapped him. When Tiffany got the chance, she explained it to him and-"

"Hold on. A thought just occurred to me."

"Pardon?" She blinked twice, evidently confused by his statement.

"A thought just occurred to me," Remus rubbed his eyes, "How do we validate everything you've said to us? How do we know it's all true?"

"If it's true? Why would I lie?"

"I don't know," he said, "Maybe this is just a ploy to control us. Maybe Voldemort sent you here to lead us on this false goose chase."

"A what?" asked Sirius.

Remus ignored his friend and continued to stare at Kayla, his amber eyes reflecting more than average hostility. Kayla could see the desperation in his eyes too. It was the kind of desperation one got when they desperately wished for something they couldn't have. She suspected it was about Tiffany. He had obviously recently excepted her 'betrayal'. To learn that she might have been innocent seemed to throw him off, and the hope of her innocence burned bright. "Well?"

"How could you doubt us?" Kayla's voice was cold. It startled them, she knew, but she didn't care. They were running out of time. She ran a hand through her white gold hair and sighed, "You know what? Whatever. I don't need this right now." She stood up abruptly, making the conscious members in the Hospital Wing jump.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't give a crap about what you think or why. She is in Voldemort's hands right now. And I need to save my friend." She turned on her heel, stalked down the aisles and out of the Hospital Wing, leaving the rest of the company in a heavy silence.

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**Okay, now I'm sure that Remus was OOC so please excuse him. When it comes to Tiffany he kinda gets...er...crazy? I dunno. Please excuse it [:**

**well, thanks for reading. appreciate your support and all**

**love, Padfoot's Pawprint**

**PS. if you want me to write for other pairings, Harry Potter or otherwise, just send me a messege [: ah, but not a twilight pairing. i can't stand those.**

**please R&R**


	34. Chapter 34: Breaking It Down

**yeah, that's right, i've been delayed, i shouldn't have waited so long, why is this author typing to me.**

**the answer i don't know and i don't care apply to all of these senteneces. Anyway, I was actually ratther busy the last 2 weeks. I only have to afternoons to work on these during a school week, and even after that, it's only after homework. Hope this is good enough. **

**for all those who knew it was Tiffany, it was pretty obvious.**

**oh well **

**For I love JPLE (thank u for reviewing) and Railz13(your constant reviews fueled my writing. thank you), thank you both for your support [:**

**it meant more than you know**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

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"Hey! Angel!" cried Henry, his voice raw from its lack of use. Remus was dumbstruck, staring after her with unseeing eyes and Sirius? The young wizard had his hands balled into fists with the growing resolve to go after her showing in his eyes.

Henry coughed and Lily quickly handed him a glass of water. The boy took it thankfully, gulping it down before setting it on the nearby desk and starting to move.

"Henry, where are you going?" Lily asked, her hand still clutching James'. Henry was slipping on the pale green slippers that sat at the bottom of his bed.

"After her. Angel doesn't mean the things she says. She's just upset. Tiffany was a good friend of hers," Henry tightened his robe, "And she is very protective."

Henry started to walk towards the door before Sirius stopped him, hand on his shoulder.

"Out of the way, Black," he growled, but Sirius did not budge.

"I'll go after her. You deal with this one." He motioned to Remus was his head and was following after Kayla in a moment. Henry watched him go, sighing as he shuffled back to bed, slipping the covers over him.

He surveyed the damage. Remus was in a state of shock by the looks of it. Finding out Tiffany was good should have been a relief. Right now, he looked like he was miserable. When voicing these thoughts, Remus said, "I don't think that changes the fact that she hid something from me."

Henry bristled. "Hiding something? You want to lecture me about hiding things, Remus?"

"Calm down, boys," said Lily, "I don't think this is the way to handle it. James wouldn't want it this way.'

"Well, we won't really know, will we?" said Remus bitterly. Lily put a comforting hand on his shoulder while Henry just snorted.

"You guys don't get it, do you?"

"What's not to get?"

"Did you not hear a word Angel said? James knew we were kidnapping him. He agreed to co-operate with us the entire time. That means he was prepared to be tortured or killed. That head injury? It's real alright. But while head injuries are tricky to fix, it's nothing for Poppy and Ms Rosetta."

"What are you getting at?"

"Even though James' wounds are physical, he agreed to receive a spell that Tiffany made herself. It would make him appear unconscious until the enchantment was taken off. It was based off the idea of playing possum, or playing dead. She created it herself and, being the talented witch she was, was able to fool even Voldemort with the spell. Every time James would sleep, the spell would kick in and he would appear unconscious for hours on end. It was only when Tiffany came to lift the enchantment would he come to. This," he gestured to James, "is the result of the enchantment."

"Do you know how to take the enchantment off?"

"On my own? No. I followed Tiffany's orders for the longest time, but she never gave me the spell. She's only told two people."

"Two?"

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore, and Ms Kayla Manson."

"Crap," said Remus.

"Exactly. So you can see why pissing her off wasn't the best idea. Sirius is on our side, but we need you and Lily there too."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Sirius is on your side?"

"He went after Angel. And I can see it in his eyes; he believes our story."

Remus stared at the ground, almost astounded at the fact that his best friend would believe the story so easily. But it didn't shock Henry. While Sirius may hate the Death Eaters, it was plausible that he believed them. At least, that was the hope. "Is there any other way to get James to wake up?"

"Not really. Poppy gave a good estimate though. If you wait 24 hours, he'll wake up. The enchantment was meant to have a time limit since Lord Voldemort was never watching James all day. Since Tiffany had the night shift, she would go and take the enchantment off."

"You make James sound like an item."

"Well, I could call it a curse, but that isn't totally correct," Henry sighed again, "It won't make much of a difference in the end. We should just hope that Sirius is able to bring Angel back. She's got a horrid temper for a girl, you know, and she's rather hard to handle. Tiffany knew how because their parentage are relatively similar." The boy stared at the ceiling. He missed his friends.

"Um, Henry?" His eyes slid to the left and he noticed it was Lily speaking to him.

"Yes?"

"Well, I was wondering...can James wake up on his own before the time limit?"

"It's never happened before. But, then again, I don't really know the specifics of the spell so I couldn't really say," he frowned, "Knowing Tiffany, she might have given James that ability. There's no telling what she's done. The complexities of this spell are mind blowing. Kayla claims that are the simplest things ever; that magic has nothing to do with it."

"But she never told you what it was?" she prodded.

"No, never. And if she has, I don't remember it. Kayla has always been the hardest to extract information from. I assume that that is the reason why Dumbledore gave her this kind of mission."

"Assuming this story is true," said Lily, "What would you plan to do?"

"I'm not altogether sure. The Dark Lord has Cain and Tiffany in his grasp. I may not have remembered it, but they aren't here right now, so that is the logical explanation."

"He has them, alright. We've seen it. We just didn't-" she faltered, the silence filling what she hadn't wished to say. They just didn't care about her at the time. They thought she was still a traitor.

"She was one of our bravest," said Henry, his voice growing deep and passionate, "I'd never seen anyone like her before. Astounding..."

"Henry-"

"You know, I still don't like him." A voice cut in from the far end of the Hospital Wing and they looked over to see Kayla and Sirius striding towards them.

"You don't have to like him. You've just got to be more, I don't know, in control."

"In control, my ass," she muttered as they approached James' bed. She glanced over at Henry and gave a grin, "Hey there, stranger."

"Hullo," Henry smiled back and gestured to James, "You mind fixing him now?"

"Me? You mean they haven't figured it out already?" Kayla grinned widely, "This is going to be fun."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean?" Lily's voice quavered as the girl smiled at her.

"Oh, the way to wake up James...it's quite difficult for us. Technically, only Tiffany and I have done it, and it was the most awkward thing we've ever done."

"What is it?"

"I mean, I'd wager it'd be awkward for you too, but not as bad seeing as you're in love with him and all."

"What is it?" Lily insisted.

"Well, you have to lean in, like this," Kayla leaned close to Lily, "And then you whisper this in his ear," she leaned over and whispered in Lily's ear, whispered words that made her face go scarlet. "And finally, you-" Kayla whispered this last instruction in Lily's ear and, when she pulled away, the girl's face was a bright red."

"Aw, look at you, Evans, like a tomato." Sirius snickered.

"Shut up, Black." but Lily's face was indeed as dark as a tomato. As dark as the Hospital Wing was at this time of night, the windows still allowed enough light to illuminate the girl's face. Whatever Kayla had said had made Lily extremely embarrassed. Henry squished the urge to ask her and instead waited patiently.

Lily stared intently at James' face, the boy's features dusted with moonlight, and sat on the edge of his bed. Then, without missing a beat, she leaned down and whispered the selected words in James' ear. She pulled back from him to give Kayla a dirty look, which the blonde girl returned with a smirk, and leaned down a second time.

And while Henry thought it was going to be to whisper a few more choice words, he didn't expect her to kiss James Potter.

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**ok, so it's short. i couldn't think of anything else on such short notice. btw, i work better when i procrastinate, so if you'd like my chapters to be up sooner, review and give me a date. If i don't have a date to work with, i kinda lose momentum. ah, but make sure i have a minimum of three days to work, cuz i honestly don't have that much free time.**

**thank you for your co-operation**

**-padfoot's pawprint**

**(miss you moony)**

**plz R&R**


	35. Chapter 35: Game Time

**finally i have posted the next chapter after, i dunno, forever and a day? **

**this goes out to my 2 real life readers: Gryffindor1796 and Cardoso15. You guys are so fantastic in your endless support and nagging skills. if you want someone to thank for nagging me, you ought to thank them.**

**without further ado, this chapter 3**

**ps. thanks for reading paula [:**

**and quit calling me paddy T_T**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter :'(**

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James was used to being in an unconscious state for hours on end. He was not, however, used to being kissed moments after. He heard the words whispered in his ear, and felt the enchantment begin to lift, only the voice he was hearing didn't belong to Tiffany or Angel. This belonged to something else, someone very familiar to him. His eyelids fluttered, as the lips pressed against his, and, when he opened his eyes, he back up so hard that his head hit the metallic bar of the hospital bed.

"Bloody hell, what was that?" he shouted, heaving in deep breathes. He stared at the scene before him. Remus, Sirius, and Henry stood around his bed, looking just as surprised as he felt, and there was a blonde girl, presumably Angel, with a smirk on her face. Last, but not least, there was the love of his life, Lily Evans, sitting beside him, her face flushed and her eyes wide. "Lily…"

"Welcome back, Prongs," said Sirius, seeming to have over come the initial shock. His mouth curved into a smile and he sat down in a chair near by, "How was your nap?"

"Fine, until I saw your face." James positioned himself so that he was leaning against the pillows, "What happened?"

"We got you back, mate," said Sirius, his voice growing soft, "we saved you."

"Then what was this-" he waved his hand, gesturing to the Hospital Wing. It most of the beds were occupied, and, as James' memory slowing returned to him, another question popped up. "Hey? Are you Angel?"

The blonde girl grinned, her light lips twisting into shape that resembled the crescent moon, "Hello, there, James. The name is Kayla, but Angel works just fine. Nice to see you again."

"It is you," said James, grinning, "At first I thought it was you, coming to wake me up but then I realized that-" he broke off, his face colouring. He still wasn't totally sure that Lily was the one that kissed him. Even though it looked like she did and she said those words… "Um, Lily? Did you mean what you said?"

"Ah, it was just the words to wake you up."

"What were the words?" asked Sirius but the Lily and James just ignored him.

"So, you didn't mean what you said?" he asked, his heart sinking.

"Er-"

"What were the words?" he said again, only to be ignored again.

"That reminds me. That kiss. Did you mean that as well?"

"Would someone tell me what the damn words were?" shouted Sirius. Angel (Kayla) just laughed and put an arm around him.

"My friend, the words to break the enchantment was, 'My name is Lily Evans and I'm in love with James Potter'."

"No!" gasped Sirius.

"Yep," Kayla smiled proudly.

"Wow..." Sirius gave Kayla a smile, "Well done."

"Thank you."

"Wait," said James, "I know that the whole, 'I love you' thing was the enchantment, but the kiss...?"

"Kayla said it was the part of the enchantment. You didn't know that?" asked Lily.

James felt his face go red and both Sirius and Remus burst out laughing. Kayla looked satisfied and Lily just remained confused.

"What's wrong?" asked Lily, utterly confused by their outburst.

Sirius, who seemed the second most calm besides Kayla, said, "You don't get it, do you? James didn't know the kiss was part of the enchantment because it wasn't."

Now it was Lily's turn to get red in the face. "What?"

"A brilliant prank, Kayla, really," Sirius said, clapping the girl on the back. Kayla gave a theatrical bow before smiling deviously at James.

"It's my present to you, dear."

James snorted, "Thanks a bunch."

"What do you mean, the kiss wasn't part of the enchantment? You mean, I just-" Lily broke off, the horror of what she had done sinking in.

"That's right, dear. You just kissed him. Because you love him." Lily's faced darkened considerably.

"Shut up, Kayla."

The girl laughed and ran a hand through her hair, "But you didn't deny it," she sang, before looking at James, "Hey, James? You trust me right?"

"You saved my life. How can I not trust you?"

"See?" she asked, turning to the rest of the company, "believe me now?"

"What are you talking about, Kayla?" asked James, "Believe you?"

"They thought myself, and all the other members of the Order, were Death Eaters that kidnapped you for Voldemort's needs."

"What?" James frowned and faced his friends, "You guys are crazy. Kayla and Tiffany are the people that protected me when I was kidnapped."

"But they _kidnapped_ you."

"Under Dumbledore's orders…wait a second." He sat up quickly, scanning the company once more.

"What's wrong, James?" asked Lily, her hand twitching. James' brow furrowed; it was almost like she wanted to take his hand…

He'd dwell on that thought later. At the moment, he would just have to face what was at the front of his mind. "Where's Tiffany?"

Remus flinched and James gave him a curious look. "What do you mean?" asked Lily.

"Like, where is Tiffany? She got out with us, right? I mean I remember we-" he broke off and his mind was suddenly filled with memories. Tiffany loosening his restrictions, warning him that his friends were coming, her stepping out into the battle, shouting orders in a code only the member of the Order would understand. "Tiffany!"

"James?"

"Tiffany, oh god, she-she-" there were confused faces on everyone but Kayla and Henry. "Where is she? She hasn't- I mean, you didn't let him-"

"Voldemort, or at least, that's what Henry says." Kayla looked over at her friend, "Are you sure that happened?"

"Absolutely? I was there, Kayla, you couldn't miss it."

"But weren't you knocked unconscious?"

"It doesn't mean I'm deaf, James."

"He's right," said Sirius. They all looked at him, "Tiffany was taken by Voldemort."

James rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I guess it's not your fault. I mean, you guys didn't even know who she was before I Henry and Kayla told you. I mean, they did tell you what happened, right?"

"Oh we told them, alright." Kayla glared at Remus bitterly, "But _this_ one was stubbornly against it."

"Moony!" gasped James, "You're the most rational of us all. I would have thought you, of all people-"

"Well, I didn't believe them," retorted the boy, "And why should I? They were posing as Death Eaters. You can't trust-"

"Can't trust? Moony," said James disapprovingly. "I thought you resolved this trust thing."

"He's had a bit of a thing for our leader, Mr Potter," said Kayla, "Forgive his lapse in judgement." Her voice was a cross between the teasing one he was accustomed to, and the dark side of her that he rarely saw. Sirius put a hand on her shoulder, almost like he was holding back the viciousness James saw in the girl's blue eyes. She was definitely a protective girl.

"It doesn't matter. I'm almost positive it happened-" started Henry, but Sirius cut in.

"Well be positive now. It happened." Sirius face showed absolute, well, seriousness. Kayla turned and looked at him for a short moment, and something passed between their eyes that James wasn't familiar with. When she turned back, her eyes only reflected derermination. "I saw it. We all did. WE just didn't ac on it because we thought she was the enemy."

"Huh." James surveyed each of his friends individually. Something was very different about each of them. Something that changed the way they thought of things. Sirius had become more solemn, Remus less logical, Kayla more volatile and Henry more quiet. With Lily, it was almost like she was in love with him, but James thought it best not to get his hopes up. "Well, then what's the plan?"

"The plan?" frowned Henry, "What plan?"

"Why, the plan to go rescue her of course."

They all just stared at him before a group of complaints burst out.

"Rescue her?" cried Lily and Remus.

"You're not coming!" shouted Henry.

"Wicked," said Sirius with a smile. Kayla just laughed.

"Why not? I wager she's a friend of yours and she saved my life. And in the hands of Lord Voldemort… who knows what he's doing to her."

"Me and Kayla knew we had to save her. But you shouldn't come. In fact, none of you are. It'll just be the two of us."

"Are you insane?" Sirius spoke up now, fists clenched. "She may be your friend but that doesn't mean that I don't want to save her as much as you. She saved my best friend. I'm in her debt."

Henry stared long and hard at Sirius, eyes calculating while James just watched the both of them with a rather confused look. He wasn't quite sure what was happening but he hoped it was in his favour. "Fine," said Henry finally, throwing up his hands in exasperation, "You're coming."

"Well done, Padfoot," said James conspiratorially, while his friend just grinned.

"I told you that the staring contests would go to good use."

"Okay, great, more people are coming, it's wonderful," said Kayla, "But do any of you actually have a plan for this thing?"

"I was actually hoping you or Remus was going to think of one."

"Wow," Kayla ran a hand through her hair, reminding James of his own habit that kicked in right around then. "Any ideas, Remus? WE are going to save your girlfriend. Might want to speak up."

"She's not my-"

"Saving her gives you the opportunity to properly confront her on all those pent up feelings so I suggest you start working that brain of yours."

"And while I would _love_ to do that, I'm actually fresh out of ideas," he said crossly, standing up, "If you had a plan, then maybe we'd move faster."

"Who said I had a plan?"

"You have one," said Sirius flatly, "Kind of hard to hide."

Kayla raised an eyebrow but didn't argue, "Yeah. I have an idea, it's true. But we'd better go now or else we're going to miss our ride."

"Our ride?"

All of a sudden there was a loud screech and all of them swivelled to face the window. "What in the-"

Kayla smiled proudly. "Thestrals and broomsticks."

"When did you-?" asked Henry, mouth wide.

"Right before Black brought me in I blew my whistle and conjured the broomstick," she made a mad grin before pointed to the window. "Let's go kick some ass."

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**all done**

**plz R&R**


	36. Chapter 36: Forever And Always

**Yes, it has been forever and a day since my most recent update, and the following chapters will be my last. You see, this story is coming to a close, as I am sad to say. I am incapable of writing any of the other series that are currently in the works without finishing this one. I must say, it is my first series and will not be my last. I am so proud how far you have allowed this to go, and for that, I thank you. If I had only 1 reader, it would have been fine. But now I have so many, despite the lack of finesse is in the story.**

**Now that my exams are over, I have dedicated the rest of my chapters to the current reviewers, as they are my drive. This is my 'Valentine's Day' present to you all because I love you so much.**

**Thank you to P (thanks for reviewing), MadLiz (your support was so welcome. Thank you) and sunshiniite (thanks for reviewing as well). All of you made my day.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

* * *

"You've gone absolutely mad." James stared out the window, before rubbing his eyes, wiping his glasses on his shirt, and staring some more. "There's nothing there."

"I've heard about these," said Lily slowly, "Thestrals...they're supposedly only seen by those who have seen death. And the only one that has..."

"Would be me." James glanced over at Sirius, who spoke as if he was commenting on the weather or something like that.

"You've seen someone die?" asked Kayla softly. Sirius gave her a sort of look that was rather curious.

"Yes, I have," he ran a hand through his hair, "And so have you."

"You have, Kayla?" asked Lily; the girl scowled and crossed her arms.

"No, I haven't; I have enchanted contacts that let me see them."

"What?" asked Lily, as Kayla walked towards the window.

James pulled Lily closer, and whispered, "It's a joke. She has seen someone die."

Her mouth formed a silent 'O', and continued to walk forward, hesitantly because she was still unsure of what was in front of them. James did the same, watching Kayla's expression carefully. Sirius walked a few paces behind her, eyes on the Thestrals, James assumed. The pair moved closer till they were at the long window. James thought he heard them exchange one or two words, but he couldn't be sure.

In the silence, James was reminded of Lily's laboured breathing, and he looked down at her with utmost curiosity. "Lily?"

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be feeling right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you later, okay?" James gave her a thoughtful look before nodding.

"Well, here we are," said Kayla, arms out towards the sky, "It's up to you guys to chose your mode of transportation. I would personally suggest the broomsticks, as they are the most inconspicuous and easiest to conceal. Besides, they're faster than the Thestrals that we have here."

"I know how to ride a broom so I'll take that," said Henry, smiling at Kayla. She nodded, waving her wand so that a broom floated over. Henry got on it, and shot into the air, only to circle back and wait near the balcony. "Come on, guys, we haven't much time. Voldemort won't kill her right away, but that doesn't stop him from anything else."

Kayla nodded, "Alright, Remus?"

"I'll take a Thestral. I rather enjoy them as creatures, even if I can't exactly see them."

"Good choice. Come here," she whistled, and James felt a stifling presence. He could hear the sound of hooves on concrete, and assumed that that was the Thestral. Kayla took her wand and, with Remus' consent, magicked him onto the horse. It was rather amusing to see him nervous like that, James had to admit. The boy clung desperately around in the air, looking for a steady place to hold before Kayla took pity on him and led his hands to a seemingly stable place. She then turned to Lily and James with expectant eyes. "Well? How about you guys? We have 2 Thestrals and 2 broomsticks."

Lily fidgeted nervously, "I don't know-"

"Which one will take us," finished James, ignoring Lily's shocked look, "We'll take a Thestral." Kayla raised an eyebrow at the word 'we' but otherwise didn't react, whistling twice to summon another Thestral. This time, once James was on, he pulled Lily up in front of him, making sure she was safely tucked between his arms. She stubbornly told him that she would rather be at the back, but when he mentioned that she'd have to hold on to him, she flushed and quickly withdrew her statement.

"Who's next?" Kayla said aloud, even though it was only up to her and Sirius. "No one? Alright then-"

"Don't be like that," said Sirius, stepping forward with a smirk on his face. "And I'll take the broom."

"Brilliant choice," she said, waving her wand to summon another broomstick. Sirius got on with a curt thank you before zooming off to join James and Lily in the sky. "And for myself," she flourished her wand, pulling a thin broom from the group that hung in the sky. It was made of dark wood, with a feather tied at the edge.

James recognized it immediately. "Is that a Cloud 700?"

Kayla smirked, straddling the broom and lifting off from the ground. Sirius whistled lowly, "That is a Cloud. Very nice."

"Thank you," she said, bowing a little, "Now let's go. We haven't a moment to waste."

"What about the other brooms and Thestrals?" asked James, glancing around carefully. He wasn't sure if there were anymore Thestrals in the area. Surely there was more than one, right?

"They'll stay here. Claire will want to go after her boyfriend the moment she wakes up. She has no idea that he's been kidnapped, but it isn't hard to piece it all together. When she wakes up, she'll want in, and I'm not at all against that. Now let's go." She took off into the vast sea of blue, smiling at something that James couldn't quite figure out. James watched Henry speed up to fly next to her, and Sirius did the same.

"Uh, James?"

"Huh?" he looked down at Lily, "What's wrong?"

"I don't think we're moving."

He bit his lip. "Aren't you better at Care of Magical Creatures class? Shouldn't you know how to do it?"

"Just because I was doing well in that class, doesn't mean I know how to fly a Thestral." James rolled his eyes. "Seriously, I don't know."

"Calling me, Evans?" cried Sirius from up ahead. "Need me to put you on a broomstick?"

"Shut up, Padfoot," laughed James, "You know as well as I do that she won't touch a broomstick unless it's to clean our Common Room."

"Hey," Lily protested, but James just laughed, calling out to Kayla for some assistance. The girl blew what looked like a whistle, and all of a sudden the creature beneath James started moving. It was extremely awkward to fly without seeing what you were flying on. James was used to seeing his Cloud 600 underneath him as he flew, but this? This just made him feel more and more nervous. He clutched the sides of the Thestral, trying not to cling to Lily like he wanted to. He hadn't seen her in so long, and Tiffany's reassurances of her safety weren't quite enough to stop him from worrying about her altogether.

"Lils, you alright?" James got a quick peek of her face, and found her bright eyes trained on the people in front of them.

"I'm fine," she said, not sparing him a glance. His pride felt a quiet flick but otherwise went untouched. She had rebuffed him so much that he barely felt it anymore.

"You sure? You don't exactly look your best."

She sighed and aloud herself to leant back into him. He was slightly surprised by this but played it cool. "I'm just tired. Do you mind?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said, earning himself a smile. The pressure on his chest increased and he felt a nervous bubble in his stomach. He had rarely been this close to her. Once or twice, perhaps. He remembered when the thunderstorms rolled by and he would secretly cast enchantments by her window to muffle the sound. Anything to make sure she slept through the night. Yet nothing could erase the memory of her curled into his chest trying to escape the thunder, as if magic had been forgotten.

"Hey, James?" a few minutes into flying and she was ready to start up a conversation. Even though he hadn't seen her in a week, he felt like a lifetime had gone by. Not to mention the fact that she called him James.

"Yes?"

"I-never mind."

"No, no, you can tell me. After all, there are a lot of things we need to talk about," he said, chuckling when she let out a squeak as his fingers poked at her stomach. "Ticklish, are we?"

"Of course I am," she huffed, tilting her head back so she could see his face, "But you already knew that."

"Did I?"

Lily made a face and James just laughed. He couldn't forget their second year, where he had spent most of his time seeing which was the most effective and entertaining way to annoy her. As it had turned out, tickling her immobilized her as quickly and easily as a spell would have, which helped James escape most situations with her in them. They continued to fly in a silence, and James wasn't inclined to ask any questions yet. There were a lot of things he wanted to ask, but their present circumstances held him back. Now wouldn't be the time.

Every once and a while, Lily would fidget as if begging James to fill the silence that seemingly swamped them as they rode on. Finally, as her fidgeting had turned to constant movement, he felt forced to say something. "Hey, you sure you're alright?"

"No. No, I'm not sure," James was actually surprised at this flash of honesty; it was rare when he got a full force of it. "There's been a lot going on lately. Your disappearance that landed up to be a kid napping. Tiffany's betrayal that turned into a failed double agent mission." She let out a breath and it came out like a giant puff. It was then that James remembered that they weren't on ground or in their Common Room. They were fifty plus feet in the air, on a creature they couldn't see. It was pretty dangerous, by all meanings of the word. He tightened his hold around the Thestral, loosening his jacket so it covered her arms partially. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Trying to keep you warm. It's cold up here, Lily, and you're not exactly dressed appropriately." She flushed and ducked her head down, visibly embarrassed. _One point for me_, he thought to himself with a laugh, before moving to take the jacket all the way off.

"Why are you-"

"You need to be warm," he interjected smoothly, enjoying the way she huffed angrily. He slipped his jacket on to her, and carefully placed his hands on the invisible horse they were sitting on. The Thestral felt boney, and it was rather uncomfortable to sit on, but he endured. The night sky was rather impressive at that height. He could see a lot more from there then he could from the Astronomy Tower or his perch on his broomstick. He noticed Sirius say something to Kayla, which was quickly followed by her throwing her head back in laughter. Remus and Thomas were ahead, speaking or ignoring one another James could not tell.

"But then you'll be cold!"

"That is a risk I will take," he said smoothly, "Besides, you are much more important."

Lily's eyes were once again hidden from her, as were her features, but James could have sworn he saw her blush. "Why would you do that?" she mumbled, earning herself an unseen look from her companion.

"Pardon?"

"I asked why you do this? I humiliated you and made you upset. Why would you continue being kind to me?"

"Because I love you? I didn't think I needed to answer that question," he said "what's wrong, Lils?" he asked, his voice exceedingly gentle with her.

"I don't deserve it," she said softly, "I don't deserve the feelings that you're trying to give me. You should have given them to someone who could love you back without totally pissing you off."

"Where is this coming from?" he asked, "You've never reacted this way before. It's very...unLily-like of you." Lily pulled her hands up to her face, and let out a strangled sob. James almost jumped at this new sound. "Lily, please don't cry" The sob continued and he put a hand on her shoulder nervously. "Love, don't do this. It's scaring me. Are you hurt?" Lily shook her head, "Then what is it?"

"I hate you," she whispered harshly, and James felt his gut twist, "I've hated the way you've always gotten the better of me. Even since day one, you managed to control my emotions just right." _But you don't love me_, he thought bitterly, _how could I have controlled your emotions when your love still eludes me?_ "Every time I got closer to you, I could feel it in my chest and my hatred for you grew. You knew me too well. And when you were kidnapped..." she swallowed, "And I- I love you."

James froze. The words...those three words that he had spent a good majority of 7 years trying to coax out of her now left her lips with such ease that James wondered if he was dreaming. "Do you really?" he murmured to himself, a smile slipping onto his face.

She nodded, hand reaching up to wipe away hidden tears. "For a while now, yeah. When you left, I just kept worrying. I assured myself that it was just normal to worry since I'd known you for so long, but that wasn't exactly it. It wasn't the same as when Severus got put in the Hospital Wing, or when Cassandra snuck out of the castle for the weekend to visit that Muggle boy, Ben. This _hurt_ me a lot more than that. And it shouldn't have, James, it really shouldn't have." James removed his hand from her shoulder, and let out a laugh.

"You, my dear, are one of the only women I know to make me feel this self-conscious," he laughed aloud, hands holding his stomach.

"Wha-" Lily began to turn but soon James' arms were around her, a cage to prevent her from moving.

"You aren't going anywhere," he whispered, moving his head down to rest of her shoulder. He felt a shiver go through her and he smiled."You know, it's rather nice to hear you tell me you love me. God knows I've been waiting for just about my entire life."

"Don't be dramatic," she said with a smile."

"Oh really?" James pressed a kiss into her neck, "Damn, you're hot."

Lily flushed. "No, I'm no-"

"No, I meant hot as in warm. You're skin is really warm. How do you keep warm up here?" he pulled her closer to him, his arms pulling her slight body against his. The hood of his jacket felt odd against his bare neck, but his forearms were warm enough to function. He let out a sigh of relief. "Much better," he shut his eyes, leaning his head against hers.

"Hey!"

"Love, if you don't like it then move," he said, smiling to himself when she just cursed under her breath but made no move to leave their comfortable perch. "I thought so."

She let out a sigh and just leaned into him more, probably for heat, he thought. It was in that quiet moment between the pair that James realized that the love of his life actually loved him back. He had Lily Evans in his arms and she was not struggling to escape nor calling for help. She was genuinely comfortable in his arms and she had said that she loved him. _This is going on my calendar_, he said proudly to himself, snuggling closer to her. "Hey, James?"

"Yes, love?"

"Can I...can I ask you what happened when you were gone?"

His eyes slid to her face, "Sure. It's not something bad, Lily, really. I came back fine and unharmed."

"You had a sleeping spell on you just in case Lord Voldemort came looking for you!" she cried, moving away so she could look him in the face. "Something must have happened."

"Nothing that hasn't already been fixed," he said with a smile. "Tiffany tended to all the things Poppy hadn't dealt with. It's quite normal for me; nothing I can't handle." Lily blinked twice before letting out a short laugh. "What? Can't believe my awesomeness? Don't worry, it'll be fine. I'll take you out somewhere nice when we get back and then you'll have to believe in my awesomeness."

"Will you now?"

James hummed and stared out at their companions. "Of course. I'll take you anywhere you want to go. After exams, of course."

"After exams?"

"What? You wanted to go out while midterms are a month away? If you insist, but don't complain when your marks drop." She threw a good backwards hit towards his stomach which he expertly dodged. "Just a warning."

"I'm sure," she huffed, leaning into him. "Are you sure? Nothing hurt you too bad? He didn't…didn't _do_ anything bad to you?"

James was quiet, deciding how much to tell her. "Well…there was one thing. I got over it once I realized what it was." She gave him a pointed look before he continued. "Lord Voldemort had the ability to inflict the most deadly nightmares imaginable. I'm unsure of the spell used, but it might have been a self-created one. It affected those that sleep and give them torturous visions, usually of their greatest fear. At first they affected me terribly. I begged Tiffany many times to just let me stay awake all day but she wouldn't have it. She tweaked the spell so that it was on command and would dull any magic-induced nightmares."

"What did…" she paused, unsure if she should continue, "What did you have nightmares about?"

"You," he said softly, breathing out a cloud of mist, "They usually pertained to you." She didn't say anything more after that comment. The only sign of change was that she sucked in a quiet breath and placed her hands over his. This encouraged James to weave his fingers through hers, which he did, completing the moment of comfort he was trying to achieve for her. "But you're right here, so those nightmares don't mean a thing."

She hummed softly, before closing her eyes. "I'll always be here, James," she promised quietly, her soft voice barely reaching his ears. "Always."

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**well, these next couple days will be reviewer friendly**

**so, be a boss and review**

**because i WILL be done this story by friday**

**bai bai 3**

**plz R&R**


	37. Chapter 37: Transporting

**This Friday, yes, this Friday will be the last you see of this story. I didn't specify which Friday I was going to post, would i?  
lol, that killed my friend. **

**This chapter goes out to I love Howgarts and AccioTeddyLupin. Both of your reviews made my day and I thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

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"It doesn't end, does it?"

Kayla looked over at Sirius curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the movement. Just when you think something is peaceful and calm, something else comes up that totally throws that world out the window."

Kayla blinked twice. "Where are you going with this?"

Sirius sighed hard and leaned forward on his broom, eyes half-lidded and staring out into the sky. "This whole week as been crazy. It's been between worrying about James and fretting about Remus' new interest. It's hard enough to deal with Peter's OCD and Remus' girl alone, but with James at my side, it wasn't so bad. It's never been this crazy, and hardly ever this dangerous. Mischief comes second nature to me, yet this all seems to really push me over the edge."

"And yourself?" he gave her a look, "You can worry all you want about other people, but until you take care of your own needs, it's gonna stay hard on you."

"But there's nothing wrong with me."

Kayla's brows dropped, eyes narrowing. "Really? According to your file you ran away from home right after your uncle's death. You've always had a hard time remaining in long-relationships because your parents had such a fragile one. You have never truly forgiven your mother from turning you out, even though you wish you could. Your life has been nothing but fight after fight. Hogwarts was the only place that offered you a shred of normality and you took it. But you don't except what has already happened. You won't except it because dredging up the past would bring you back to a place you vowed never to go again. And you've seen someone die," she added softly, "if that isn't inadvertently a problem, then I don't know what is."

Sirius' blue gray eyes stared at her golden brown ones and she thought she saw something that looked like regret but it was shortly replaced with a harsh, cold look. "And I assume that just because you have this file, that you know me?"

"I never said that," she argued, tearing her eyes away and staring forward again. "I am waiting for a contradiction. I still haven't gotten one, so you give me reason to believe that you are the troubled teen in the file I received."

"You know, I don't mention you telling us that you had files on us."

"It wasn't necessary at the time," she said non-nonchalantly, enjoying the way he growled with annoyance. _Winding this boy up would be a lot of fun_, she thought cruelly, _but plotting with him sounds like an adventure in and of itself_. "Besides, Dumbledore gave them to us right after the kidnapping plan went through. He said that if anyone was going to question James' disappearance, and seek the answer behind it, it would be the Marauders, his close knit group." Sirius nodded slowly. "It was to understand how your minds worked. Most of the Order, that is what we call ourselves, didn't need to read the files because they went to school with you guys. In comparison to me and Pricilla, as we both did not go to school with you for consecutive years. We drank up what was in those files because you were all so different. We couldn't fathom what had connected you all, and knowing that you were all friends with James made all the sense to us. He was the thing that connected you all." Kayla took a breath, letting the air before her mouth mist over. She glanced forward and shouted back to the others as to what to do next.

She then took an abrupt dive downwards, leading those behind her to take the dip as well. The Thestrals was having a harder time to manoeuvring through the clouds than the broomsticks. Kayla noticed James was trying to make sure that Lily was secured and well as himself, which was more than a little bit surprising. She blew the whistle a couple times in quick succession to slow the creatures down, and was welcomed with a thank you.

"Where exactly are we going, Kayla?" asked Sirius when they levelled out again.

"There's a small dock that will lead us to where Tiffany is. At the dock is a magical lighthouse that has been charmed to direct its users, with the proper incantation, to the object or place that is in their minds. I know the incantation used for the lighthouse, as does Henry, so we'll use that to locate tiffany.

"According to Henry, Tiffany was taken with the pretence that Voldemort would be seeing James again. I assume that that means that he wants us to go to where he is. While the Dark Lord will not make it easy to find him, he will certainly not make it hard. You will have to be ready to fight him and whatever else he throws at us. It will be painful."

Sirius shrugged his shoulder. "An adventure is an adventure anyway you cut it."

Kayla grinned her agreement and called out to Remus, Henry, James and Lily, debriefing them on the situation. All for them seemed eager to help out, save Remus, but she attributed his hesitance to nerves. The land below was slowly becoming clear, and in no time, the small group could see a vast ocean below them. The dock that Kayla had mentioned sat on the outskirts, a few miles from their current position. They flew in that direction, coasting when that got lower to the pier. The dock had no-one at it. There weren't any boats in the area either, which was curious to most people, but for witches and wizards, things concerning the Muggle world was not as interesting as their own world. Many often paid little attention to the actual happenings of the Muggle world unlike Lily or Kayla.

Once landed, they wasted no time in going to the lighthouse, James and Lily being the last to arrive because they had some trouble getting down. As they gathered together around the door to the lighthouse, Kayla had gotten into a conversation with Henry on the proper way to follow through with the lighthouse incantation. "You emphasis the E," she insisted, her wand tapping the tip of her knee. "Hurry up, Henry, and don't argue with me."

"But you don't emphasize the E," he said stubbornly, "that doesn't make any sense."

She narrowed her eyes, "If you want to get this right, then you're going to have to emphasize the E."

He growled and threw his arms up in the air. "Know what? We'll take a vote on it," he turned to the group, "How many of you think Kayla is correct?" Nearly all the hands went up, and she grinned at him, victorious. "You guys are insane."

"They just love me more," she said smugly, tapping the edge of the light-house door with her wand. "Now hurry up. You were second in command, meaning you have to do the job."

Henry groaned and mumbled something about annoying partners and Kayla being a 'piece of work' before knocking on the door in a particular pattern. At this, another door seemingly appeared beside the original, caked in dust. Kayla smiled and stretched out her wand arm, "In. Go."

Her partner glared at her and muttered some more choice words before stepping through the door, lighting his wand up as he walked. James walked in with Lily clutching his hand. Remus followed with Sirius, while Kayla took up the rear. They walked down through the door that led them into a spiral staircase. It curled upwards, leading them to them to the large light at the tip of the lighthouse. James, Remus, Sirius and Lily spent their time marvelling at the length of the stairs while Henry and Kayla kept an eye out for signs of magic. The door's reveal was a good sign that they were in the right place. However, the ability to go forth using magical means seemed prohibited at the lighthouse, which indicated that the space they were in was the right place. Tiffany wasn't a fan of magic when normal means could be used, and this held true as their magic seemed ineffective within the walls of the lighthouse.

"I found the exit," called Henry, his voice echoing throughout the lighthouse's interior.

"Open it up then, Hen," Kayla called, "We don't have much time."

"I hear you," said Henry, tapping his wand against the semi-visible door that led out to the main area. They filed out onto the light room, circling around the beacon of light that shot out of the center.

"I don't understand. What's the significance of this?"

"Significance? I'm not sure that I can properly answer that. The whole idea of having this lighthouse here was Tiffany's She only told me the incantation once and, when i asked her what for, her explanation was very...analytical."

"Oh, Henry, it wasn't that hard to understand," Kayla turned to face her other companions, hands on her hips, "The lighthouse's core is made up of a special magic stone called Kolstove. Kosltove can be found in the desert when the temperature is bad enough to cause heat waves and melt downs. It was originally used to mark a specific place in the desert because it all looked the same. The Kolstove would light up, a beam shooting into the hot sky, and show the traveller the way to water, shelter, whatever the case was. Now, we can channel Kolstove in this lighthouse to find someone who is missing because we have left our magical traces in it. Every member of the Order was asked to sign their names on the stone, so whenever we needed to find one of the members, the Kolstove stone would shoot off a light in their direction."

"That's a great idea," said Sirius with a smile.

Remus nodded. "Very ingenious. How did you find the stone?"

"Dumbledore actually found it in his office 2 weeks before school started. He asked Tiffany to research it and then, voila, the Kolstove stone was used."

"Fantastic," murmured Remus, admiring the beacon.

"Alrighty, then," said Kayla, "Fire it up, Henry."

"Wait, why can't you do it?" asked Sirius.

"Because I'm second-in-command," sighed Henry, rubbing his head, "Believe me, I voted for Kayla, but the rest of them weren't having it. They voted for me."

"Because we know how good you are with Raven," said Kayla with a wry smile, "You know exactly how her mind works."

Henry flushed with embarrassment and raised his wand, pointing it to the thin crack right below the beacon. He tapped it twice, muttering a sort of spell, and suddenly the beacon shuddered and began to rise. The light room seemed to grow in size while the core of the beacon slowly peeled open, as if it was shedding a layer. Within the beacon sat a teardrop shaped rock, its colour black. If one looked close enough, they would see carvings within the stone. Each carving was an Order member's name. It was well done, Kayla had to admit, watching as Henry said the final incantation that ignited the stone in colourful pink flames.

"Pink?" asked Lily, curiously. Kayla looked over at her and noticed she was clutching onto James quite fiercely. She fought down a comment and slipped on a smile.

"Every stone lights up differently. This one just happens to have pink as its natural colour. Now watch. This should look pretty cool."

"Should?"

"I've never seen it used. I've only read about it in some of the books in my library."

"A library?" Lily and Remus perked up almost instantly.

"Hush, and watch," laughed Kayla, watching the stone shoot a brilliant beam of pink into the ceiling. The colour gathered at the top and spilled out around them, practically enveloping them in a cocoon of pink. It would have been rather pretty, if the colour didn't suddenly change to a blinding white, effectively rendering all of the blind for a few moments. When the white cleared, the Kolstove stone was no longer emitting white light. It now shot several beams of light in a variety of directions.

"The names," cried Remus, "They're glowing." And it was true. Each of the names carved onto the Kolstove glowed a different colour, each having a corresponding beam shooting off the top.

"Find Tiffany's name, said Kayla, "I don' know how long the effects of the stone last."

"You mean it didn't say in the book?" asked James, scanning his side of the stone for Tiffany's name.

"No. It said the time limit was short but gave no indication of how long it would last."

"Why didn't you try to find out?" quipped Sirius, to which Kayla responded: "It was in Arabic. You try to translate that fast."

He grumbled and apology and continued searching. She thought it would be easier to find her friend's name, but obviously it wasn't. She didn't know there were this many people in the Order. "Got it," called Lily, "It's the orange one."

Instantly, Kayla's eyes snapped to the tip of the Kolstove, searching for the orange hue that Lily was referring to. She found it quickly enough, and saw that it pointed out across the mountains and through the ocean.

Sirius whistled, "That, my friends, is very far away."

"How will we know exactly where she is?" asked Henry, "This just gives us a brief idea of where she is. We don't know where Voldemort has kept her captive. There is nothing here that could possibly-"

"There is one thing that might work," said Kayla, "it's risky, and we won't have much chance to adapt to the change but it might work."

"What is it?"

Kayla looked warily at all of her companions before continuing. "The Kolstove stone is a stone not many wizards learned about because of its near-impossible qualities. We like to keep it a secret to preserve the power Kolstoves give us. However, there is one part of the stone that only the founder had been able to find. He wrote it in Latin, and placed multiple spells and enchantments on the pages that contained it to hide the fact. However...my family is a family of knowledge hunters. We search for things tied to the past to better understand the future. My great grandfather found the pages, and spent much of his life attempted to decode it. He passed it on to my mother, who then passed it on to me." She took a breath. This was hard to tell. "We were often tracked because of the paper, so when my mother gave it to me, she made sure to properly mask its magical scent. When I did go over it, I was 12. It was around summer time, so my parents had decided to take me to see the pyramids. The paper reacted to the magic in the area and I was able to figure out the secret part of the Kolstove.

"The stone itself has the ability to point us in the right direction. However, there is a certain part of the stone that can transfer us direction to our destination."

"Why didn't you say that before?"

"I wasn't sure if this Kostove still had the transfer piece in it. You know those black boxes that the Ministry has been creating? Vanishing Cabinets, I think. They have a piece of Kostove in it. That is what allows the cabinets to work so effectively."

"Always wondered what they put in those things," muttered Sirius. "So does it still have the transfer piece?"

Kayla bent over and inspected the stone. She noticed small nicks about it, but no chunk missing where the transfer piece was supposed to be. "Everything seems all right. All we need to do is all be touching his transfer piece when Henry says the incantation. He then has to touch the 'location' we want to be in. That means," she said, turning to Henry, "you have to speak the incantation and say Tiffany's name."

"Sounds easy enough."

Kayla placed a finger on a smoother side of the stone near the bottom. "This is the transfer piece. Place a finger or two here. It isn't very big, which doesn't really help when we want to transport multiple people. This will take us right to the center of Tiffany's captivity. Knowing the Dark Lord, he will have enchantments that will push us towards the edge of the safe hold. It might set off an alarm, and so we might have enough time to adapt to the situation. We will be attacked," she added gravely, "and there is no guarantee that we will get out alive. This is your last chance to back down. I won't judge you if you say no." Silence. "Good. Let's begin."

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**thanks for reading [;**

**please R&R**


	38. Chapter 38: Hurting

**For AliRyan and anonymous. Your reviews made my day.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

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"You really don't give up, do you?" she raised a weary gaze up at him and coughed, blood clinging to her clothes. He had recently resorted to physical abuse, which sucked a lot for her because he knew her weak points. "I don't understand your infatuation with this idea. Do you think you are being a hero? Because you're not, you know. If anything, you're hurting your cause, my dear," his voice was as smooth as velvet but his eyes revealed a fierce anger in her direction. "You really should just let it go. It's a pitiful hope, really."

She coughed again, and this time his wand was at her throat, pressing into the soft, slightly bruised, flesh. "Leave her alone."

Tiffany's eyes slid to the side and met with Cain's fierce ones.

"Brave, aren't you? A haughty Gryffindor perhaps?"

"I'm a Hufflepuff."

Voldemort laughed loudly, his voice echoing through the empty dungeon. Tiffany wasn't sure exactly where she was. The dungeons were thin, underground cages that she wasn't familiar with. She manacles around her wrist seemed to tighten, and her breath hitched. "A _Hufflepuff_," he sneered, face upturned, "how very…_disappointing_. You Hufflepuff's are absolutely useless, you know that? Spineless. That's where spare students go; students with no proper merit or rank."

(**A.N: They're also finders, but I don't need to review that, do i?)**

Cain lunged forward despite the chains, earning himself a _Crucio_. He screamed, making Tiffany wince. "Really, Tiffany? You are willing to protect your precious school instead of your friend? Quiet valiant of you."

"I will never rat them out," she sneered, "Just as I would never try to hurt Cain. He is a brave boy. Bravery and gallantry has nothing to do with what house you've been put into. What matters," she looked up bravely at him, "Is soul.

"Soul?" Voldemort scoffed, "There is no such thing as 'soul. There is only power; the weak and the strong. Soul has no purpose in a world like ours."

"I really doubt that," said Tiffany, teeth clenched as the Dark Lord's foot found it's way to her stomach, "And you will be stopped."

"And who could possible stop me now?"

"Dumbledore."

"Dumbeldore?" Voldemort laughed, "There is nothing he could do. _Nothing_. Absolutely no-"

There was a loud crash that could be heard, the shouting of witches and wizards a like as the sound of a siren went off. "Intruders! Lord Voldemort, we have intruders."

"What idiots would intrude here?" he growled, flicking his robes back and walking away from his prisoners. "Oh, and one more thing," he said, looking back. They waited on him and Tiffany suddenly felt a burning pain in her chest.

She screamed this time, writhing in her manacles as the burn increase. "Dark flames," he said absently, "Beautiful for torture. Takes about 5 minutes to burn through the skin, 3 minutes to burn through muscle and another 2 to burn you right though." He grinned sadistically, "Yes, your screams will be the perfect back ground music."

"You monster."

"I am not a monster. I am the most skilled wizard that ever lived and I will _not_be trumped by some half-taught children." He turned away, walking up the steps that led to the main level, quietly promising them a painful death.

-M-A-G-I-C-

"I see what you meant now," called Sirius, dodging a variety of spells while Kayla slipped past the defences of her fighter and knocked him out.

"Good. I was worried you were too dumb to understand me."

He rolled his eyes, countering a spell with his own. "Moony, you ok?"

"Just peachy," he called back, countering an incoming spell. "Any sign of Tiffany?"

"Not even a little. This place is crawling with Death Eaters. I really don't think we-"

A loud scream broke through the fighting, piercing through the sky with an almost cruel accuracy. The cry actually stopped half of the fighting that w starting, and when the second scream came to accompany the first one, the Death Eaters struck back harder.

Sirius cursed and parried multiple curses, a couple nicking his shoulders and cheek.

"Watch it!" cried James, Lily fighting behind him.

"You too. You've got a woman to protect."

"Shut up, Sirius," laughed James, taking out two Death Eaters in a single blow.

"Who the hell is screaming?" he asked, slipping behind a wizard and hitting him in the back, "I mean, it sounds really painful and-"

"Dear God," breathed Kayla, her hand hesitating before the enemy. Sirius saw this, and quickly shot her opponent.

"Be sure when you aim," he shouted, coming over and grabbing her arm. He tugged her down behind a thin line of bushes without resistance. "What is your problem?" he hissed, "Have you gone mad? You can't lower your defences."

"The ones screaming," she said, words tumbling out of her mouth, "They're Tiffany and Cain."

Sirius froze. "What?"

"I'm sure of it."

"We can't be sure of anything. It could be a trap."

"It's not a trap, Black, it's real. She's somewhere in this place and I need to find her."

"Calm down. That might not be her."

"Then who else could it be? It's not like he's locked her in a comfy bedroom. He's likely stuck her in a dungeon. Torturing her..."

She shivered and Sirius placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "We'll get her out. Chill."

Kayla flashed him a weak smile before peeking out from their hiding place. "Come on. We've got to take these guys out now."

He nodded, "Finally," They hopped out and continued fighting, Kayla taking a blow to the leg, and Sirius taking a hit to his shoulder. They fizzled into their clothes, causing a light sting where the spell would have hit. "At least we know your defences work."

"Good that," said Kayla, deflecting an incoming spell and shooting another one. "Henry! Any chances you could locate Tiffany right now?"

"I'm a wizard, not a compass," he snapped, a blue light whizzing by his head, "But I can try."

"Quickly," urged Kayla, taking down two more Death Eaters, "I'll cover you."

"Located!" he called out suddenly, "I'm sending a light towards her." A bright green light came out and hit the ground a fair kilometre away. "She's underground," he said, standing back up and beginning a new duel. "We really have to hurry. The screams are getting louder and I have a really bad feeling."

"Like wh-"

All of a sudden there was a streak of green that cut through the battles and hit Henry in the shoulder. His eyes widened, and Sirius watched as the boy crumpled to the ground, his name on his comrade's lips.

"Henry!" Kayla ran over to him, but suddenly it was like something was pulling her backwards; a force that held her captive in her spot. "Henry!'

"He's dead, you know?" Sirius felt a chill down his spine. "That is what the killing curse does, understand?"

"Lord Voldemort…" growled Kayla. The screaming continued, the shrill sound echoing through the field they were in. It was rather strange that Voldemort had chosen such an open place as his base, but Sirius supposed that the most obvious place would be the place they would look last.

"So you came back?" he said cheerfully, "Well, we know how that'll turn out, no?"

"Shut up," she snapped, "You killed him without a second thought. How could you?'

"How could I not? It's just so easy to kill amateur wizards like Henry." The scream cut off quickly, before it started to gurgle, cutting through the screams like a person was coughing. "And would you look at that? The fire has moved on to their muscles. It's a beautiful sound isn't it?"

"Who is it?" Lily's voice rang out through the field. She was holding James' hand tight in her own. "Who the hell are you torturing in that dungeon?"

Voldemort's thin lips pulled up into a smile that could have been easily mistaken as a sneer. "Oh, but I think you do know."

"Give them back!" Kayla cried, "Give them both back!"

"Why should I? The marks on their arms show that they are my property to handle and not yours. Besides, both need to pay for having crosses me." Voldemort placed the tip of his wand on his pale cheek, "You know, don't you find it a little bit odd? I mean, you're always coming to me because I've kidnapped someone. Just because you managed to survive the first time, doesn't mean that you'll survive the second, you know?"

Sirius gulped. "What honestly drove you to this? Kidnapping children," Kayla raised her wand, and he could see her shaking. "We will fight you for our friends if we have to and then-"

"And then what? Rescue them? You've got to be kidding me. I really don't think that'd work and you know why? Because your friends will be dead in less than 3 minutes, courtesy of the black flames of Egypt."

"You bastard," Remus lunged forward with a vengeance. Voldemort threw him back with a tired flick and sighed.

"If this is your strength, then I'm afraid your friends will be dead rather quickly."

"Shut up!" Kayla aimed a shot, as did James and Lily, but they were easily deflected.

"Do you hear that, children? Their screams sound beautiful."

"You-" Sirius grabbed Kayla's forearm to hold her back.

"How about this? I will let you come at me all at once. Does that sound good? Prepare yourselves." Sirius looked around and saw that not only were they poised and ready, the Death Eaters also had their wands up, threatening their well-being. "And go!"

Voldemort didn't shoot any spells at all when he called for the fight to start. He merely stood there, deflecting what spells came his way and bouncing them back. Sirius was amazed at how well he had protected himself. His Death Eaters were pretty good at blocking the spells, but their aim was terrible. Sirius felt on hit his cheek, but it bubbled and was nothing but a light tingle. It was unfortunate that the protection spell did not help Henry against the Dark Lord...

"And you have a protection spell on!" exclaimed Lord Voldemort, smirking at his enemies amidst the fighting, "Clever of you."

Remus made for Lord Voldemort but James moved him over. "I can do this," he said, eyes up at the dark wizard, "Let me fight him, Remus. Try to find her instead." He didn't have much time to answer as far as Sirius could see, before he had to raise his wand and arm himself from another attack.

"Kayla!" the girl glanced over before shifting her eyes back to the battle.

"What?"

"This isn't going to work. There are too many of them and not enough of us."

"Well, I can't call reinforcements.'

"Why not? Because they don't know where the hell we are and half of them are in the Hospital Wing back in Hogwarts. They're injured. Henry came even though he was injured because he- he has a strong connection with Tiffany. It wouldn't be fair to just allow him to sit back and watch.

"Besides, you saw what happened. He was killed without finding her. It's useless to try and call them when it will be a suicide mission."

"That's not what I meant. We should be able to immobilize them, or at least get them off our back so we can search for them."

Kayla stared at him now, before answering. "I'll do what I can."

-M-A-G-I-C-

"Your bravery is commendable, James, but there really is nothing you can do."

"I got out," he said fiercely, "Why can't they?"

"Well, because I don't really value them. They are useless to me. You on the other hand."

"Me?"

"You are a pureblood of the Potter house, James. You carry pure wizarding blood through your veins. As does Mr Black. However, your house is much more..._distinguished_ in comparison."

"My house is merely better than Sirius' because my parents didn't turn me out for wanting to be different."

"Ah, but your friend also consented to run away because he didn't care to be part of my services like his brother."

"Regulus!" gasped James, "There's no way..."

"Oh course. The start of this year actually. He's very good for information, especially when his brother is friends with the likes of you." James grimaced but Voldemort ploughed on, "You know, you could join me."

"I'm sorry?"

"Yes, you could join me. You wouldn't have to risk your life like this ever again. Merely become part of my order and you should never have to make hard decisions again. I will make them for the benefit of-"

"Yourself. The benefit of yourself." James finished, "No, I will not join you. I am not interested in serving a wizard who intends to hold my friends captive and torturing innocent people. You have killed more than enough, Lord Voldemort, and I will never join you."

"Suit yourself," he said with a shrug, "But I will come back for you James. Perhaps you will have your head on straight by then."

"What are you-"

There was a giant explosion in the background and James saw a giant phoenix snaking its way through the grass, spreading flames everywhere. "Well, I will be seeing you, James," said Lord Voldemort, curling his cloak around him and beginning to disapparate. "Farewell."

He pointed his wand to the giant phoenix and it suddenly exploded, engulfing the field in a barrage of fire. James darted over to Lily and put his arms around her protecting her from the falling wreckage that was the forest.

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**please R&R and beware character death**


	39. Chapter 39: Ending

**I'm sorry x infinity**

**it's not fair at all what i've said**

**i keep intending to finish, but then something comes up**

**so feel free to flame, because i deserve it**

**i feel horrible, although, i'm sure other stories have occupied your time**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

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Waiting had never settled well with Lily Evans. People had the horrendously incorrect misconception that she was a patient girl. This was a giant lie. In fact, she was one of the most impatient people you could ever come across. Lily's impatience stemmed from her desire not to procrastinate. She was actually a great believer of work to achieve knowledge, but she also didn't like work (another misconception).

Yes, all in all, Lily despised waiting, which sucked for her because she was always in a position that required an endless amount of patience; waiting for teachers to hand back assignments, being partnered with James for most of those assignments, and working with James period. The mere fact that she knew James required patience, which was why she got riled up so easily. James knew that and he frequently used her inability to wait to his advantage.

However, this kind of waiting was agonizing. St Mungo's was a fairly big hospital by even muggle standards. It wasn't her first time sitting in the waiting room, but it was certainly the first time she had been here worrying about James. The waiting room was thick with disinfectant. She had always wondered why St Mungo's smelled of disinfectant and they had told her that it was mostly because of those that came to St Mungo's for community service work. Using disinfectant without magic was harder than cleaning with magic.

The majority of their little group was in a hospital. 5 members were in extensive care. Unlike Lily, they could not be healed with a quick spell and a potion. The wounds inflicted on the others were serious wounds that could not be fixed with normal means. They were inflicted with dark magic, they said, faces grave, and there was no guarantee that they would ever be the same.

"Lily?"

Lily looked up from her seat quickly and saw Remus standing there with a long bandage around his forearm. "Remus!" she ran over to him, literally jumping on him.

"Hi," he hissed, obviously in pain. She let him go quickly, mumbling apologies, "How are you holding up?"

"They won't let me see him," she said quietly. "Sirius just got out of surgery but James is still being worked on. Tiffany and Cain are in a lot more danger though. Apparently the fire that Voldemort used on them was a rare flame that ate through flesh. It's going to take a while to repair the flesh, and even they don't know if it'll work." Lily bit her lip. "I'm scared."

"I know," he said, taking her arm and guiding her to a chair. "I'm scared too."

"Do you think they'll make it out okay?"

Remus took a breath before answering, "I don't really know. I don't really think anyone can really be okay after something like that. It's just not possible. Something will be slightly different... I just hope it isn't anything life-threatening."

Lily nodded and folded her hands in her lap. "Have you...I mean...have you seen Tiffany yet?"

He shook his head, eyes tinged with sadness. "No, I haven't. I wanted to ask, but the moment I got close to her door I felt something holding me back."

"You're just nervous," she soothed, placing a hand on his shoulder, "And you shouldn't stress. It's not good for the body."

"And you aren't? Lily, you're starting to rip the hem." She glanced down, startled at what her hands had been doing.

"How-"

"Whenever you're anxiously about something your fingers start fidgeting; particularly with the base of your shirt. I suppose it's the easiest place to excess but it is an indicator of your stress levels."

"When did this happen?"

"I don't know. I never noticed it until James brought it up after a Quidditch game one day. It was really random and I hadn't believed him at first, but when I started to pay attention then the habit was quite obvious."

Lily was quiet. "He noticed me."

"He always noticed you. You just didn't want to notice him. The attention he gave you was too overwhelming, but you have to admit that James is persistent."

"Ain't that the truth," she murmured, staring at the tiled floors. St Mungo's Hospital resembled a Muggle hospital in all ways but one; no technology. Only in select rooms contained Muggle technology and that was for the patients that had been irreparably harmed by black magic. Those rooms were rarely filled but recently, Voldemort's victims had been piling up, leaving St Mungo's to deal with a dramatic aftermath.

"Lily, don't be too depressed okay? Patients that have been harmed by dark magic will get special treatment, probably with Muggle technology. People like Tiffany and Cain would fall into that category. They'll be given that kind of treatment.

"What about Sirius and James and Kayla?"

"They will be magically treated. Some maladies have their effects take place over night so it could be a while before we see any of them in a better state."

"I see."

"But the witches and wizards that train here are incredibly talented," put in Remus quickly, as he watched hope die in Lily's eyes, "They should be healed in no time."

"I guess. It's just..." she started fidgeting. There's only so much I can do, and I feel like I'm not doing enough. Just sitting here, idly..."

"Sirius felt that way too, you know," said Remus patted her shoulder comfortingly. "When James went missing, he wanted to leave immediately to go searching for him." Remus smiled a bit at the memory. "He was on edge the first day. You see, Sirius is not a patient person. He will cut you off if you so much as breathe for a gap. He doesn't like planning, he's much more of a 'I'm-going-to-wing-it' kind of guy. He refuses to listen unless you have his full attention, and he hates being wrong. But even a guy like him can wait a while for his best friend. He knows when to back down and when to step up.

"You and I; we have to utilize our patience to wait this out. I don't know how long this will last, but it surely won't be forever. They are fighting for their lives. We should respect that and wait..."

Lily nodded solemnly. Remus was indeed the wisest of the four boys. He was sweet, affectionate, patient, calm; everything a girl could want in her boy. She sighed to herself. She had once found herself wondering if she loved him –it was quite a long time ago, mind you- and by the end of her pondering, she had found that perhaps she didn't want calm and collected. She wanted adventure. She wanted excitement.

She wanted James.

And nothing could possibly eclipse his spot in her heart. It just wasn't possible, not by her standards. James had always been a constant in her life, and now that this revelation had dawned upon her, they were separated...

Lily leaned forward and placed her head in her hands. "I'm exhausted," she sighed, shutting her eyes.

"You want to take a quick nap?" asked Remus, "I don't mind. You can borrow my shoulder. I'll wake you up when James is allowed visitors."

"What about Tiffany?"

He paused, seeming not to know what to say next, so Lily left him as is, putting her weight onto his shoulder. He placed his head on top of hers, and the pair drifted off together.

Lily's dreams were colourless blobs. Nothing really had much shape. She heard a shout, but it was muffled so she could ignore it and continue to float in the dark space.

However, the shout got louder, increasingly so, and soon enough Lily found herself back in the waiting room, Remus' hand practically crushing hers. The people in the waiting room looked rather solemn, glancing away from the main doors that led to the interior of the hospital.

"Remus?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her free hand, "What's going on?"

"I don't know," he said, staring fiercely at the door, "But I feel like it isn't good."

"We're losing him!" someone cried from within, and Lily felt her heart squeeze. Losing _him_? Who was the _him_? Was it James? She really hoped it wasn't. She desperately hoped it wasn't James. It couldn't be...

She needed him."Crap, crap, crap," she could hear, before a scream cut through the silence. It was followed by a variety of hushes, and then a muffled shout.

"What's happening, Remus, I'm scared." Remus stood up quickly and pulled Lily with him as he went to the receptionist's desk.

"Excuse me?" The woman looked up, brushing dark reddish brown hair out of her eyes. "Ms...er...Kellandra."

"How may I help you?" she asked, her voice quiet in comparison to the shouts of the medical wizards within the hospital.

"Um, is there any chance that you could give us an update on the patients that were recently admitted here?"

"Names?"

"James Potter, Sirius Black, Kayla Mason, Tiffany Tam, Cain-"

"Oh, you're friends with those kids." Kellandra whistled, "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?" Remus pressed a hand flat against the counter top, "Why sorry?"

"Remus, you're scaring her," whispered Lily, tugging on their locked hands.

Kellandra pushed her hair back and raised her chin. "Don't worry, sweetie, I'm fine. I deal with kids like this all the time. So listen, Remus, was it? I can give them a check for you, but do not expect some good news, understand? What you see is what you get."

"Yes, ma'am, thank you very much." Kellandra smiled and turned her chair, clicking open a long cabinet drawer. She muttered a bit, tapped her wand on the numerous files within, and waited as a few of them slowly began to rise. Lily noticed that each one was labelled by name, and that the ones that floated towards them were their friends.

"Here you go; Black, Potter, Mason – you get the idea. I assume you know how these folders work, Remus?"

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you again."

"It's amazing what manners can do," laughed Kellandra, pushing the drawer shut and continuing with her writing work, clicking away on her type writer. The waiting room drew quiet again, the shouts of those within a dull, muted sound. Obviously, magic had been used to tone down their voices. Remus and Lily sat back down in their seats nervously, the files in their hands.

"Who do we do first?" asked Lily quietly.

Remus pressed his lips together before saying, "James. We'll read James'." He opened the file carefully, and there was a slight quill that floated out from within and immediately started scratching words into the parchment below. In the left margin, times started appearing in chronological order, and the quill appeared to be writing what was happening to James. With a dry mouth, Lily began to read the file, ignoring the times and skimming the information given by the quill.

_**Potter, James (Patient 4498) in West Wing**_

_-arrived and diagnosed as having large burns: was taken to magical injuries area (West Wing)_

_-burns continued to spread, suggesting high caliber magic: was moved to emergency rooming West Wing_

_-patient's heart failed: the need to work with him with Muggle equipments was required_

_-patient's heart was restarted_

_-patient started to lose blood (after effect)_

_-patient woke up: it appeared he had been charmed previously*_

_-patient could not form coherent sentences and stuck with repeated a solid word**_

_-patient's heart failed again: his brain and body were decidedly injured almost irreparably_

_-was revived but patient did not regain consciousness_

_Complete Analysis_

_Potter, James had:_

_-broken ribs_

_-burns_

_-weak heart_

_-blood loss_

_-psychological trauma_

_Potter, James has: _

_-weak heart_

_-blood loss_

_-psychological trauma_

_Potter, James should be monitored carefully. The fragility of his state **cannot be fixed with magic**. **Any **use of direct magic could **negatively affect** his state. **Discretion advised**. _

_*patient appeared to have been charmed. It seemed to be a complicated, home-made spell that we have removed without much difficulty. _

_**patient reverted back and started repeating the word 'lily'. Further investigation into the significance of this word will be taken._

Lily felt like a bomb had just gone off in her head. James was alive...it was like the day they had gotten him back from the Death Eaters. The relief came first, before the panic truly started to set in; his state was too fragile for magic to fix. So would she just pray for his survival? That his recovery was merely luck based? Couldn't she do anything else?

"You done?" she glanced up at Remus, who was looking down at her with a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah...I'm fine..."

"Are you sure? Because you're looking pretty sick. This is good news, Lily, it really is."

"He's basically in a coma with no magical way to wake up. I give magic my life, and what? They take him from me?"

"Lily, sometimes things happen that we don't understand. James...James was with you for a great majority of time. You got to talk to him about things that sometimes people never get to talk about with their loved ones. On one end, it's rather lucky, don't you think?"

"No, I-" But then Lily realized that the deep brooding look in Remus' eyes was more than just worry. It was fear and envy, flakes of it drifting amongst worry in his amber eyes. He had never gotten to say what he wanted to Tiffany, not really. He had said nothing to effect of showing love to him, and that, she knew, was what he was most envious of. Her ability to converse with James before this had been a miracle that she had almost forgotten existed. "I'm sorry…" she mumbled, bumping into Remus' shoulder comfortingly, "Shall we read Tiffany's next?"

He nodded with a wry smile, and opened the next file. This time, when the quill rose, it started scratching more rapidly that before. Remus and Lily exchanged a look of worry before reading rapidly.

_**Tam, Tiffany (Patient 4499) in West Wing**_

_-arrived and was diagnosed as near-death magical burns: was moved to emergency rooming West Wing_

_-patient had dark flame marks throughout her body that indicate signs of intense pain_

_-patient had various marks and psychological trauma indicates torture was used_

_-doctors are able to eliminate black fire _

_-patient went into shock, her body breaking into convulsions: doctors predict magic will not be helpful and only harmful to the patient_

_-patient recovered shortly after, but heart failed_

_-patient was revived _

_-patient was found to have inner poisoning from black fire: small amounts of magical treatment is used here_

_-wounds from the black fire are deep and unprecedented: the black fire's presence was so constant it induced poisonous effects_

_-patient's heart failed a second time: significant blood loss ensued_

_-patient's heart remained unrevived for over record time_

_-patient's heart was revived: body went into shock_

_-extreme blood loss: blood transfusion necessary_

_-patient's-_

Suddenly the file was shut, hiding from view whatever else was happening. She glanced up at Reus, about to reprimand him when she saw the look on his face. He was devastated. His amber eyes stared at the file before them unseeingly, his hands shaking.

"Remus," she whispered, "Come on, Remus, look at me." He didn't, seemingly overwhelming by what had happened. He looked like he was in pain, and more than a little unhinged. "Remus, please-"

"I can't."

"I'm sorry?"

"I can't read it anymore." He blinked, hands balling up. "It's like the whole world is against us and I'm not sure I can sit still and watch someone I care about die."

"Lupin? Evans?" The pair glanced up at the sound of their names, startled. A doctor clothed in a white lab coat stood in front of the main hall doors that led to the patients rooms.

"Yes?" asked Lily, not trusting Remus to respond for the pair of them.

"Please come over here, the pair of you. We need to speak to you about your… companions."

Lily gulped and took Remus by the hand before walking over to the doctor. "What would you like, sir?"

"Um, I'd like you both to come in here…" he led them into the hall and over to a room labelled West Wing 733. "They're all here."

He opened the door, revealed a room full of their friends, worn, torn and bloodied. Lily raced to James' side, linking her fingers with his as she found customary to do so. Remus just walked over to Tiffany's bed side slowly, placing a hand on hers. Her breathing was ragged and uneven. All of his friends were hooked up to huge muggle medical equipment, and he felt sick. There were so many wires…

"How are they all?" asked Lily, looking up from James. "Will they live?"

"Mr Black seems to be recovering rather well in comparison to his companions, so he is definitely in the clear. The others are another story. Mr Potter has had much trauma and physical injuries to add on to him. His condition is extremely fragile.

"Ms Mason is suffering from some rather severe burns and a rather complex water charm. She almost drowned, and it took quite some time to get all the water out of her lungs without her going into shock.

"Mr Donovan and Ms Tam were subjected to the enviably condition of dark flame burns. The flames, as you already know, burn through anything with considerable accuracy. Both of your friends have very bad burns, especially Mr Donovan, who had the flames right above his heart." He pushed his glasses up and smiled sadly. "I am truly hoping that they all make it through, but there are no promises, Ms Evans and Mr Lupin. Mr Potter, Mr Donovan and Ms Tam could go any minute. I suggest you value your friends and say your goodbyes while you can."

Lily stared after the doctor when he left. "Well that was pessimistic, huh?" she said aloud, expecting a response that never came. Instead Remus took a seat at Tiffany's bedside, stroking the back of her hand.

"What if it's too late?" he said.

"What?"

"What if I never get to tell her that I-" He gulped. "That I love her?"

Lily smiled sadly, patting his back before giving him a hug. "Then you tell her now," she said sweetly, and when she returned to James' side, his 'I love you's were the only sounds in the room.

-M-A-G-I-C-

Their parents came shortly after. James' was there like a snap of a finger, huddling around their son like moths around light. Lily saw their concern, bright and flowing from them. It was hard to watch them coddle James like her was a baby, especially when Mrs Potter began to cry. She had the hardest time watching that. Kayla's parents showed up next. They seemed the most calm about her injuries.

"She knew what she was getting into," said Mrs Mason when Lily asked her about it, "so did we and we let her go. It's our fault more than any other. Besides, our Kayla's too strong to just give in now."

Lily admired the woman's confidence, and the opposite could be said when Cain's father walked through the doors. When he spoke of his son to the other parents, he spoke like the boy had already died. It was like he had given up, and Lily resisted the urge to attack him with questions and accusations. Tiffany's parents had come in shortly after, only they cried silently, whispering words to Remus that only he could hear. Lily watched him nod a few times, but he never said anything back.

Sirius' family never showed up. Mr and Mrs Potter took their place, taking turns sitting at his empty bedside and James'. Sirius had often boasted about the Potters as if they were his real family, and if everything sounded as she remembered, they felt like a second son was injured.

The hospital room felt huge and crowded at the same time. Lily looked around and noticed bouquets beginning to appear at their bedsides. As she sat at James' side, the bouquets continued to increase, flooding the room.

"They're presents from outside sources," said Mrs Potter, a slight grin on her face, "They're sent to the hospital, and after censoring, the hospital sends it here. Cool, huh?"

Lily nodded, but before she had time to say something the heart monitor went off. It rang high, alerting them that there was a problem. Lily jumped to her feet, staring at the multiple heart monitors. The sounds filled the room, and Lily felt her head spin. She didn't know which monitor was going off but suddenly her eyes zeroed in on one of them.

Right before it flat lined.

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**Did i tell you about the character death?**

**cuz i feel bad about that too **

**don't R&R. i don't deserve it...**

**ps. really? 69 reviews? what are you guys trying to pull here?**


	40. Chapter 40: Finale

**The Missing Brings People Together:**

**I would like to thank every one who has ever reviewed, favourited, subscribed to this story. **

**Thank you for your support.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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James leaned against the tree, surveying his friend with a sad look on his face. He had been released from the hospital 4 weeks after the incident. Christmas had long since passed, and the New Year had begun with heavy hearts. Dumbledore's speech to his students was one of sorrow, as James had expected it to be.

The cemetery was quiet. The deep red sun hiding itself behind the hills of the countryside and James wondered what it would be like to live there. At a muffed sound, he glanced down and saw his girlfriend bury her nose in his shirt.

"What time is it?" she sighed, pulling him closer. James snuck a peek at her time-telling contraption and told her. She just yawned in response and glanced up at him with tired green eyes. "Is he done?"

"I think so. He always leaves her at sunset." James gazed out once more at the graves that lined the bright hills, finding his friend's lean figure amongst then. They'd visited the grave at Christmas and again on New Year's Day. Now, with snow dusting the hills, they were visiting her without any special reason.

At least, without any special reason that he knew of.

Tiffany Tam had died without feeling any pain on that fateful day at the hospital, 18 hours after her heart failed. Cain Donovan died with her, his heart failing just as hers had, 6 hours before she did. James could remember waking up to the sound of screams and the cries of parents. He'd been confused, but the fear on Lily's face was enough to tell him that there was a real problem. Doctors had rushed in, crowding into the room. James had tried to sit up, the wires kept him strapped down to the bed without a way out. He struggled, unable to speak, his throat seeming to clench, and then the crying had become prominent, and James knew that something horrible had happened.

Sirius woke up at around the same time he had, while Kayla remained in a comatose state. She hadn't woken up, and the doctor's figured she was having some brain problems that prevented it all. They hadn't visited her in three days, and perhaps they should...

"We'll visit Kayla tomorrow, alright, James?" asked Lily suddenly, her green eyes staring up at him.

He nodded and grinned, "You read my mind," he said, before glancing up at his friend. He often stared at her grave, lips muttering words that James did not want to hear. They were often a combination of begging and pleading with God, head bowed as if in prayer. Today was different though. Today, Remus' head was high, his hand on the daisies she loved so much. He always conjured up a bouquet of them before visiting her site.

"He's still here?" came a voice from behind them, and James turned his head slightly to see Sirius standing there, hands in his pockets.

"Seems so, doesn't it?" he asked, facing the vast expanse before nudging Lily up. "Come on, love, we're moving."

"But I'm tired," she whined, but complied, using the support he gave her. She always went to sleep when they visited Tiffany, mostly because Remus stayed for the vast majority of the day, and because she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since James was finally recaptured. He rubbed her arm affectionately before walking with Sirius towards their heartbroken friend.

"Is he aware that we could be late for Dumbledore's meeting?"

"I thought so. He said a few more minutes..."

"More like a few more hours," laughed Sirius, coming up to their friend, "Hey, Moony, we've got to go, mate."

James placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ready to go?"

It took a few seconds, before Remus reacted, nodding. "Yeah, I'm ready."

-M-A-G-I-C-

"Thank you all for coming. I trust that all of you had a somewhat restful winter break." There were scattered words from everyone in the room but no concrete answers. Sirius stood near a tall portrait belonging to Professor Dippet, James and Remus stood nearby, Lily was next to James, and next to her was Claire, wearing a short, black dress. They all knew it was because of Cain; that was obvious by the way she seemed ready to burst into tears. "Now, there are many things to say about our past year. We have lost 3 brilliant members, each from a different house, but each one just as dependable. Our analytical leader was one of the best I've ever seen, and it will be hard to replace such a unique entity in our group." Sirius swallowed painfully. It was uncomfortable to talk of the dead in such a common place. It was as if the girl hadn't died, and was merely missing at the time.

"The others were close friends of hers, and deeply devoted to the cause. They believed that stopping Voldemort meant saving others, and if that meant death, so be it." He took a deep breath, watching the students carefully. "You all know that Voldemort must be stopped, just as you know that this mission is an incredibly dangerous one. We are the Order of the Phoenix, and we will rise up from the ashes of our companions and carry on with a new-found strength and determination.

"I do not lie when I say this is dangerous, but only you know what's best for you. Therefore, it is in this moment when I give you a chance to leave." Another murmur went around the room, this one filled with uncertainty and fear. "Yes, here is your chance to leave and never come back. You need not risk your life for this cause if you should not want to. However, each of us has a duty to our friends and families. And if we choose to forsake that duty, we should know, in our heart of hearts, what we have done wrong. I will not judge you if you leave, nor will any of your companions. So choose wisely."

"Professor Dumbledore? If I may say something-" Sirius' eyes raked the crowds quickly at the familiar voice. It came from behind him, he realized, and he swivelled to see Kayla walking through the tall doors that let into Dumbledore's office.

"Oh, Kayla, feeling better I see?"

"Yes, sir," she said, and Sirius noticed her face growing very dark. "There were many reasons I was able to wake up, one of them due to the people that stayed by my side during my coma."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, the support of your friends and family are essential to recovery," he said, "But please carry on and tell the group what you wish."

Kayla nodded her thanks before turning to the group around her. She looked rather tired from where Sirius was standing, her shoulders sagged in a way that they never had before. After waking from her comatose state, her skin seemed pale, but she didn't look entirely dead on her feet. Still, despite how she looked, the words that came out of her mouth were clear and resonated throughout the room.

"I am currently a part of the Order of The Phoenix," she said calmly, "I did not originally come from this area, nor do I think I should have. All I know is that meeting the people I have met in the Order has changed my life.

"You get to fight for peace throughout the Wizarding world and you aren't looked down upon just because you are a child. You can actually do something productive instead of hang around and wait for something to happen. You can change something.

"It's dangerous, don't get me wrong. One of my best friends was killed a few days before Christmas, and I didn't know if I wanted to be a part of the Order any more, but now I know that I do. My friend wanted to protect the people she cared about, and I know that she would not have wanted to die any other way. She was a fighter, and she always has been. I don't expect you all to risk you lives, but I am asking you to put faith in an organization that wants to do something better than just sit around and wait for Voldemort's next attack." A gasp went around the room when she said his name, but Sirius just chuckled. The girl had plenty of guts, that much was clear.

"Thank you, Kayla," said Dumbledore, while she bowed slightly and moved out of the spot light. Once more, all eyes were on Dumbledore, as he silently commanded attention from all members in the room. "What she has said is absolutely true. Voldemort will just attack us again unless we do something, and it is dangerous. But in the end, it is your decision to make. Choosing not to do this does not make you any less a good person than you already are, but it is still your choice that will carry out through your future.

"Therefore, would like you all to leave if you are not ready to embark on this new chapter. Those still interested may stay for a debriefing of future missions. Thank you for coming." A few students left the room, muttering as they descended the griffin, but Sirius was surprised at the over whelming number that stayed. He glanced at James, who was looking rather curiously at Remus. The boy was standing tall and proud now, and the urge to know why almost consumed him on the spot. "This is the last call. If you would like to leave, take steps back. Those who would like to join the order, step forward.

Remus stepped up. He turned slightly when James asked him for a reason, and he merely said, "This is what she dreamed of. I have to do this for her; finish it all."

James nodded and Sirius, too, understood his friend's passion to some degree. He glanced over at Lily, who had let go of James' hand and was fidgeting nervously next to him. He turned his attention to Kayla, who was staring with confidence at the Order members before her gaze turned to him, and she just grinned and waved. He waved back, an odd feeling filling him and he took a step forward, standing beside his werewolf friend.

Now it was just on James and Lily.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," he could hear. "It's a suicide mission."

"It has a chance, Lily."

"A small chance. I trust Professor Dumbeldore but this is too much. Your chances of survival are incredibly small."

"But the chance still exists," he said, taking a step forward, "and that's enough for me."

She held her hands close to her body, and stared desperately at him and Remus. "Talk him out of this."

"Didn't you hear Dumbledore, Lily? This is our choice to make. Protect people, or wait till he comes for us." Sirius grinned wildly. "In all honesty, this sounds a hell of a lot more exciting than anything else I had planned this year."

"You don't have to join with me, Lily," said James, softly, "I just know that this way, you'll be safe; my family will be safe. It's what I want. What do you want?"

"I want you."

He stuck out his hand. "Then I suppose you'll have to stick with me then, unless you want me to disappear, do you?"

She stared at his outstretched hand and Sirius thought that she was actually going to leave, but instead she took it, and the next few minutes were in slow motion. "You? Disappear? How could I let that happen?"

"I guess you can't."

"I guess not," she said with a smile. Sirius sighed in relief and Remus patted his friend on the back. Everything was right with the world. Missing had brought them all here, together again in front of Dumbledore.

She took a step forward.

And his world began to turn again.

The End

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**This story is not so regretfully at an end. i feel bad for having dragged you with me.**

**Good luck on your writing endeavours, my friends, and I look forward to seeing you again.**

**Om ya. (inside joke)**


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